This is the rare article on Trent Richardson that is not totally about how poorly he played in 2013. No, instead, we have a report that Richardson underwent surgery on his shoulder this offseason.
Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Colts RB Trent Richardson underwent shoulder surgery following the season, per source. Told it was "just a scope." Shouldn’t hurt offseason</p>— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/statuses/436606571041153024">February 20, 2014</a></blockquote>
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ESPN's Mike Wells confirmed the report:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Colts running back Trent Richardson did undergo a "minor" procedure on his shoulder as <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet">@RapSheet</a> reported</p>— Mike Wells (@MikeWellsNFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeWellsNFL/statuses/436625550375780352">February 20, 2014</a></blockquote>
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The Indianapolis Star's Stephen Holder did as well:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Following up earlier report fr <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet">@RapSheet</a>, yes Trent Richardson did have a shoulder scope and yes, it was minor. Don't anticipate any issues</p>— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) <a href="https://twitter.com/HolderStephen/statuses/436632904333266944">February 20, 2014</a></blockquote>
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It doesn't sound like the surgery was anything serious, which is good, but it's still not good when a running back needs surgery after only two years in the league. The Colts traded for Richardson early in the 2013 season and he was terrible in his first season with the Colts. Including the playoffs, Richardson played in 16 games for the Colts yet only rushed for 459 yards on 161 carries and scored 3 touchdowns - averaging just 2.85 yards per carry.
With a full offseason and training camp with the Colts, the hope is that he will be better in year two and Ryan Grigson insists that Richardson is still very much a part of the Colts plan moving forward. And I'm not ready to give up on the running back either, but there is no doubt that he wasn't good in his first year with the Colts. Now, he is coming off of a shoulder surgery. Again, the procedure was a minor one, but it still isn't good. At the same time, however, hopefully it does fix an issue and helps Richardson produce more, which the Colts very much need next year.
The third overall pick in 2012 is still a very talented back but has issues, and a lot of those seem to be dealing with confidence. Whatever it is, hopefully undergoing this surgery to have a shoulder scope can help him feel better while playing and can help him play better for the Colts in 2013. And honestly, before you get concerned about his surgery, remember that it's going to be very hard for him to be worse than he was in 2013.
Another thing that is worth noting in Rapoport's report is that it "shouldn't hurt offseason." This is a big deal, because as I already mentioned Richardson really needs the offseason and training camp to work on things and get better and more familiar with the team. It is big that the surgery isn't expected to affect that. Surgery is never a good thing but can sometimes be helpful. Let's hope that is the case here with Trent Richardson.