Philip Rivers is returning to the NFL after more then four years, and one of his former rivals believes it is only fitting.
On Tuesday, the veteran quarterback was added to the practice squad of the Indianapolis Colts, with whom he had last played in 2020. He will reunite with Shane Steichen, who was an assistant coach during his last seven seasons with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers.
And former Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt has very high hopes for this return stint. He wrote on his social media:
“Philip Rivers ran the same offense as the Colts for his son Gunnar’s HS team this season. He and Shane Steichen spoke weekly about it, discussing plays and even film. So familiarity with the scheme should be no problem whatsoever.”
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Fun Fact learned in production meetings: Philip Rivers ran the same offense as the Colts for his son Gunnar’s HS team this season. He and Shane Steichen spoke weekly about it, discussing plays and even film. So familiarity with the scheme should be no problem whatsoever.
The move comes amidst a rash of injuries to the Colts’ quarterback room. During a 36-19 loss at the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Daniel Jones tore his Achilles tendon, while Riley Leonard hurt his knee.
Anthony Ricardson, meanwhile, has been on IR since October after an equipment malfunction during pregame warmups against the Arizona Cardinals resulted in a facial fracture.
Michael Irvin expresses skepticism about Philip Rivers’ return
One person who is less than optimistic about Philip Rivers’ return is Michael Irvin. In a YouTube short, the Hall of Fame wideout called the decision to bring him back a “head scratcher”, given the preponderance of younger and more mobile options in the free-agent market who could better fit the Colts’ current run-centric approach:
“That team had all mobile quarterbacks, and that’s how they got off to a great record. Daniel Jones was playing pretty well, throwing the ball, but they were also using his legs.
“You give the defense something to worry about with the quarterback running, and then Jonathan Taylor can get away from you. But if you use Philip Rivers, that’s a whole different thing. Philip ain’t running nowhere or past nobody. It will alter the run game.”
He continued by raising doubts about Rivers’ arm strength, accuracy, and decision-making after multiple years away:
“How good can that arm still be? How long will it take to get him in any kind of playing form?”
Should Rivers be cleared after practice, his first game back will be at the Seattle Seahawks. Kickoff is at 4:25 pm ET on CBS.