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No one really expected quarterback Gardner Minshew to be a long-term member of the Colts when he signed here in the offseason.
The belief was that he would serve as a bridge quarterback and mentor to whomever the Colts drafted, that of course being Anthony Richardson. At most, he would play a few games as Richardson learned (or if he became injured, as ended up being the case), before leveraging that into an opportunity to compete for a starting job somewhere else next season.
After his performances against the Texans and Ravens in place of the injured Richardson, could his time with the Colts be even shorter than predicted?
After all, there are several teams dealing with issues at quarterback. The Jets appear to be in free fall following the season-ending injury to Aaron Rodgers. Joe Burrow of the Bengals is clearly hobbled, and Derek Carr of the Saints is expected to miss some time with a shoulder injury. It wouldn’t be surprising to see even more notable signal callers go down with injury before the trade deadline at the end of October.
Would Chris Ballard be willing to listen to any trade offers for his backup? Minshew may not be a game changer, but he is a solid quarterback who has proven he can start and win in the league. He plays smart football and will mostly avoid game-breaking mistakes. For teams desperate to save a potential sinking season, that can be very attractive. Perhaps the Colts could get a few draft picks to further help jumpstart their rebuild?
Of course, Ballard knows the value of a backup quarterback very well himself. In his first season he saw Andrew Luck miss the entire year with a shoulder injury, and his 3rd season was blindsided by Luck’s stunning retirement. He also has seen his rookie quarterback be unable to finish either of the 2 games that he has played in. Richardson is as physically gifted as they come, but the hits in the NFL do add up. As long as running is a big part of his game (and it probably always will be) the Colts would be wise to invest in a solid backup.
During Tuesday’s edition of The Ride With JMV, John spoke to Brad Spielberger of PFF. Brad spoke about the possibility of a team like the Jets being interested in trading for Minshew.
“His name I think is always going to get brought up, and I really don’t see a scenario where the Colts are willing to part ways with him. I think he just means too much both on the field, and I’m sure he is helping Anthony Richardson in those quarterback meetings a whole lot.”
Listen to JMV’s conversation with Brad Spielberger and more below, and tune into The Ride With JMV weekdays from 3-6pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan.
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Should The Colts Trade Gardner Minshew? was originally published on 1075thefan.com
