Colts QB Richardson ready to play; Out RB Taylor

INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts are dealing with mixed injury reports for three of their most important offensive players heading into Sunday's game against the Titans.

Quarterback Anthony Richardson (oblique) prepares to return to the lineup while receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (back) is surprisingly questionable and Jonathan Taylor (ankle) has been ruled out.

Richardson, who missed last week's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, is on track to play after participating in the past three practices. Coach Shane Steichen said Richardson “made huge strides this week, for sure.”

Richardson has been seen running and making offensive moves during practice this week, something he didn't do in the portions of practice last week that were open to the media. According to a team source, he took most of the snaps with the first-team offense. Backup Joe Flacco handled all the starters' reps in last week's practice.

Meanwhile, in a surprising development, Pittman practiced Friday after news broke earlier this week that he faces a possible multigame absence due to a back injury. Pittman has been dealing with an unspecified back problem for several weeks, but the problem escalated in the Jacksonville game.

Earlier in the week, a team source indicated that there were discussions about placing Pittman on injured reserve, though a final decision had not been made. Two days later, Pittman was catching passes and running routes during individual drills in practice. He was not ruled out for Sunday.

“I want to be there for everybody [the locker room]”Pittman said. “So, we'll see what happens. But nothing is certain. Everything is still on the table.”

Steichen said: “He's feeling really good, so we'll see where it goes.”

Pittman has been the team's leading receiver in each of the past three seasons, including a career-high 1,152 receiving yards in 2023. But he's likely been slowed by a back injury this season. He has his fewest receptions per game since his rookie season in 2020 (4.4).

Taylor, the NFL's 2021 rushing champion, will miss his second straight game with a sprained ankle after not practicing for a second straight week, according to Steichen. Backup Trey Sermon is expected to start in his place.