The Indianapolis Colts are lacking at running back after losing Vick Ballard for the season and the team pulled off a huge and stunning trade, acquiring Browns running back Trent Richardson for a first round pick.
According to ESPN.com, Richardson was traded most likely because he was taken with the previous regime and according to Adam Schefter, they felt that his injury history and the fact that the 2014 draft is strong at quarterback and now they have two first round picks. The Colts desperately needed a running back and now Richardson is the most talented running back for the team since Edgerrin James was there.
Richardson was a first round pick and rushed for over 900 yards as a rookie and had 11 touchdowns and this season he was off to a slow start, but now he will get a new start with a new team. The trade also changes things for the Browns and Brandon Weeden, as he is likely done after this year now since the team is likely going to go after Johnny Manziel or Teddy Bridgewater next season. Richardson was considered one of the top running backs in fantasy this year and now he will move to the Colts and that changes what the team will do this week against the Niners.
The Colts now have an elite player in Andrew Luck and a solid starting running back to team with Ahmad Bradshaw and the trade is a stunning referendum on Richardson, who was a first round pick out of Alabama. Richardson is a tough player and he can catch the ball out of the backfield and that could be a huge acquisition for the Colts. The team was willing to part ways with him after starting 0-2 and realizing that there was a chance things were going to go very wrong this year with Weeden getting hurt.
The Colts are dealing with a number of injuries on offense with Dwayne Allen the latest to get hurt and while Richardson is a running back and not a tight end like Allen, this is still a huge move for the team as they try and make the playoffs for the second straight season. Richardson and Weeden were hailed as the next generation in Cleveland after starting the season as a rookie RB and QB last year and now he will be moving on to Indy and he could have a great career there. Richardson is a tough runner and now the Browns will have to figure out how to rebound without their starting running back.