Colts Demote Trent Richardson; Browns Win Trade In The Short Term

The Colts are changing things up. According to Mike Silver of NFL Network, Trent Richardson will be benched, handing the starting running back job back over to Donald Brown. It's like that trade with the Browns never happened!

Richardson has failed to bring the running game that Indianapolis so desperately wanted when it gave up a first-round pick for him. The Colts gave him enough touches when he first joined the team, but Richardson did nothing with them. He hasn't topped 60 rushing yards in a game this season, and currently holds a 2.9 yards per carry average. It was like using Leroy Hoard as a starter.

With two losses in the last three games—and only 19 total points in those defeats—Indianapolis could no longer deny Brown. He hasn't been outrageously better, but he doesn't fall over after three yards. Brown can catch passes like Richardson, so Andrew Luck won't lose an option on plays. Richardson will still contribute to the offense, but at a significantly diminished level.

The weirdest part is that general manager Mike Lombardi and the Browns look like geniuses by shipping Richardson. Now, the received first-round pick has to be used on someone worthwhile to find out if Cleveland really got away with a steal, but for now, Browns fans can comfortably deal with a running game of signed-off-the-street Willis McGahee and fullback Chris Ogbonnaya—as opposed to Richardson—while browsing mock drafts.

[ Around The League]

Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images