The 2012 rookie class had so much promise as it entered the National Football League. Two franchise quarterbacks, a franchise left tackle, a shutdown corner, a hard hitting safety, an electric wide receiver, and an uber-productive linebacker were just some of the highlights. Oh, and there was the little matter of the most highly regarded running back since Darren McFadden. Three short years later…oh my gosh that draft was brutal. I even have a low opinion of Ryan Tannehill and have no qualms stating that he should have probably been drafted higher…heck he could be the best non-Luck or Wilson quarterback in that draft (I’m looking at you RGIII). Justin Blackmon can’t stay active due to off-field mistakes, Mark Barron is on his second team, Robert Griffin III has been injured and inconsistent when healthy, and Morris Claiborne has been underwhelming.
Then there’s the matter of that franchise altering running back. I think that term still applies to Trent Richardson, if only because he altered both the Cleveland Browns and the Indianapolis Colts. The recently waived Richardson is now free to choose his next destination, which will hopefully have a better ending than the trade-induced marriage to what should have been “The Greatest Show on Turf 2.0.”
Things started out so promising for T-Rich in Cleveland. In his rookie season, Richardson produced 950 yards in 15 games for the Browns. Sure, the Browns stunk, but the future looked so promising with the foundation of Richardson as the focal point of the offense. Richardson was so highly regarded after his rookie season that he became a projected top 10 fantasy football producer in his sophomore season. The poor souls that selected him in the first round of 2013’s fantasy draft include myself…not by design – electrical issues caused my first two draft selections to be auto-drafted. THANKS FOR NOTHING ESPN FANTASY PROJECTIONS!
Richardson began his second season gaining only 105 yards for the Browns in their first two contests, both in losing efforts. The injury bug struck in Indianapolis which fortunately allowed the Browns front office to do something they seldom choose to do: make an intelligent roster move. The Cleveland Browns, one year removed from selecting Trent Richardson 3rd overall in the NFL draft, traded him to the Indianapolis Colts for a first round pick in the 2014 draft. The Colts were immediately praised for their roster engineering which paired the 1st and 3rd picks in the 2012 draft. In hindsight, the trade was actually highway robbery by the Browns organization (or at least it would have been if they didn’t decide to parlay their two first round selections in 2014 for the right to select Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel).
As a Colt, Richardson was highly unproductive. In 29 games for Indianapolis, T-Rich produced a pedestrian 977 yards – 27 more yards than he produced in his rookie season. Some blame could definitely be placed on the offensive line, especially during the 2013 season; however, Richardson just didn’t run like he did for Cleveland as a rookie. Don’t even get me started on his production at Alabama, either.
His lack of production in Indianapolis spelled doom for his time as a Colt as he was made inactive during the 2014-2015 playoffs and was supplanted as the starter by Dan Herron, who is most notably not a first round draft pick. Richardson was waived by the Colts on March 12th.
Where does Trent Richardson go from here? He has overstayed his welcome in two cities after only three seasons. It would not be a stretch to say that Richardson is damaged goods at this point. If he wants to make his NFL career work, he desperately needs a career rehabilitation. Where would a running back like Trent Richardson fit best?
If I were T-Rich, I would have have already set up a meeting with Bill Belichick. A move to the New England Patriots would be great for Richardson’s image and self-esteem. Sure the Patriots have Jonas Gray and LeGarette Blount already in the fold; Trent Richardson has more natural talent than the pair combined, as evidenced by his elite recruiting rank and his production as a member of the Crimson Tide. Richardson also would represent a slightly more versatile option than Blount and Gray because of his (in my opinion, underrated) receiving skills (113 career receptions for 912 yards and 2 TDs). Sure, he’s no Shane Vereen, and he definitely isn’t the most versatile free agent running back on the market; however, he would present an opportunity for Belichick and the Patriots to have something they have rarely had during his tenure – a three-down running back that has a bona fide pedigree. Better yet, they would be able to obtain him while his value is low, a strategy employed by the Patriots on many occasions (a la Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Julian Edleman, Blount (twice), Brandon LaFell, etc.).
What’s in it for Richardson? First and foremost, he would be part of a roster that will continue to defy both age and roster construction standards and compete in some capacity for both the AFC title and the Super Bowl. Rings never hurt, right? More importantly, Richardson can recuperate his image as a football player and dynamic running back while in New England. Sometimes all a downtrodden player needs is some of Belichick’s coaching to bring out the inner strength. Richardson could then parlay his above average play within the Patriots offense into a bigger contract in a year or two on a team desperate for a lead running back. He can chase his championship with New England and then get his big payday. That’s an easy win-win.
T-Rich could accomplish his career turnaround in other locations, but they have more flaws than Foxboro. Baltimore just paid Forsett to be its leading runner and has more pressing needs to use limited cap-space. Richardson would never get the ball in Seattle because, let’s face it, second-fiddle to Marshawn Lynch isn’t the most glamorous position. San Francisco is currently a mess, so who knows what kind of team they will shake out to be for 2015-2016. San Diego has a vacancy at running back, but the current regime has yet to prove that it can develop an elite running back let alone challenge Denver and Kansas City. Cincinnati has a split backfield as it is, and Richardson would likely represent a mixture of their current stable. Detroit could have some potential, but the franchise just moved on from an under-performing running back with a lot of hype. This is not to say that these teams have been linked as suitors or could be options, but instead that they could offer or have offered in the recent past a chance to be successful and chase a championship. Ultimately, these teams cannot offer two things that the New England Patriots can: a chance to be coached by Bill Belichick and the fortune of playing alongside Tom Brady. It’s a destination which offers the rare chance to stay grounded and still put up amazing statistics because no player could ever be in the spotlight due to the media attention warranted by Belichick, Brady, and Rob “Party Bus” Gronkowski. Above all else, Trent Richardson could certainly use that.
-Morgantown Sports Guy
The Morgantown Sports Guy 
