If Minshew leaves, who will be backup QB?
INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts pulled off one of the toughest tasks in the NFL last season.
Indianapolis lost its starting quarterback early in the season.
But things didn’t fall apart completely.
Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen inserted Gardner Minshew into the lineup, turned to the pages of the playbook he’d built for the former Jaguars and Eagles quarterback and directed the Colts to a 9-8 finish and the doorstep of the playoffs.
“When the backup quarterback goes in,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard said at the NFL scouting combine, “it’s usually disaster time.”
Minshew’s performance will not end up going down among the best backup performances in league history — Earl Morrall, Nick Foles and Jeff Hostetler set that bar by winning Super Bowls — but it was better than most, offering plenty of reason for optimism going forward with Steichen in Indianapolis.
The veteran passer threw for 3,302 yards, 15 touchdowns, nine interceptions and led the Colts to a 9-8 record. After a handful of other AFC starters backed out, Minshew ended up with an unlikely Pro Bowl berth.
“What’s so great about Gardner, you’re able to pull out more wins than most backups,” Ballard said. “I think Gardner did about as well as you could do.”
And it might end up forcing the Colts to find a new backup when free agency opens.
A handful of general managers indicated at the NFL scouting combine last week it’s possible Minshew gets a chance to compete for a starting job, rather than return to Indianapolis to a clear backup role behind Anthony Richardson.
“Gardner and I talk,” Ballard said at the end of the season. “Of course Gardner wants to be a starter. That’s what his makeup is.”
If Minshew gets an opportunity to pursue that goal, Indianapolis will have to find a new backup for Richardson.
“You can look at it two ways,” Steichen said. “I think it could go either way, it really can.”
One way is to sign the best available backup, regardless of his skill set.
Minshew’s playing style isn’t anything like Richardson’s; Indianapolis responded by building two separate offenses, essentially, within Steichen’s scheme, allowing the Colts to transition seamlessly from Richardson to Minshew when the rookie was hurt.
The difference in the two playing styles ended up making an impact — the Indianapolis offense wasn’t nearly as explosive with Minshew at the helm — but the veteran’s professionalism and ability to play within himself gave the Colts a level of play they could rely on getting every week.
“A guy that your staff feels like you can win with, that, to me, is the key,” Ballard said.
The other way to approach the backup role, if Minshew leaves, is to find and sign a backup whose skill set doesn’t force the Colts to change the offense entirely.
Indianapolis is trying to get more explosive on offense this offseason, betting heavily that the return of Richardson will help considerably. A dynamic runner, Richardson’s mobility forces defenses to pay attention, opening holes for running backs, and his arm strength makes Richardson better suited to throw the ball downfield than Minshew.
The right backup quarterback might not force the Colts to give up those parts of the offense.
“Some people say, ‘Hey, do you want a guy with similar traits to Anthony Richardson? Is that important to you or not?’ ” Steichen said. “I think that has benefit.”
Available veterans like Tyler Huntley, Tyrod Taylor and Marcus Mariota have the mobility to handle some of the running requirements of Richardson’s job.
But it’s likely that the market will make the decision for the Colts. Minshew is far from the only backup quarterback in the NFL who wants a chance to start, and that opportunity often ends up driving the decisions players make on the open market.
If Minshew does find a better opportunity on the open market, the good news is this Colts staff already has a blueprint for how to handle the adaptation to a different backup quarterback.
“Whether it is a guy like Anthony, or it’s a guy that has different traits than Anthony, you adapt to that player,” Steichen said.
The Colts have already proven they can pull it off with Minshew.
Maybe they can do it with someone else.