Another quarterback drafted inside the top five of the 2023 NFL draft was benched Tuesday. 

The Indianapolis Colts turned to veteran Joe Flacco after benching Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 pick in last year’s draft. Last month, the Carolina Panthers benched Bryce Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft. 

Young returned to the field last week while filling in for the injured Andy Dalton, but he didn’t do much to regain his starting job in the loss to the Denver Broncos. It’s probably best for the Panthers to trade Young before the Nov. 5 deadline because they don’t have the roster to develop a green signal-caller. 

The Colts have the roster to win games with Richardson, one of many reasons why they shouldn’t completely give up on him. NFL teams expect quarterbacks to produce right away and are even quicker to cast them aside if they don’t churn out positive results.

C.J. Stroud, the No. 2 pick last year, quickly proved himself to the Houston Texans, but he hasn’t played as well as last season when he won the Offensive Rookie of the Year. His performances might continue to dip if the Texans don’t trade for a wide receiver to replace Stefon Diggs, who sustained a season-ending knee injury. 

Let’s start this week’s Fact or Fiction with the Colts’ QB dilemma before assessing what the Texans should do before the Nov. 5 trade deadline. 

Colts should trade Anthony Richardson after benching 

Manzano’s view: Fiction 

It likely became too difficult for Colts coach Shane Steichen to continue vouching for Richardson as the starter after another dreadful performance and the controversial tap-out for a break during last week’s loss to the Texans. 

The Colts gave up on Richardson for 2024, but they shouldn’t completely move on from him. In a year with Jared Goff, Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield playing well, the Colts should be patient with Richardson’s development, because you can probably name only four or five other quarterbacks with his elite physicality.  

It’s difficult to develop from the sideline, but it was a good time for Richardson to have a reset anyway. And he really gave himself no choice after pulling himself for a few plays against the Texans. The poor decision left a negative lasting impact and probably cost him his job. 

Now Richardson needs to regain respect from his teammates, starting by supporting Flacco and finding ways to help the team while they’re amid a playoff race. Richardson might view his backup contributions as small, but he needs to learn to have a less-is-more mentality. He often tries to do too much to create plays, which I’m sure his teammates appreciate. It won’t take long for Richardson to regain respect inside the Colts’ locker room, but hopefully, he’s using the extra time to ensure he’s ready for his next opportunity. Richardson needs to improve in many areas, including accuracy after only completing 44.4% of his passes this season.  

Dolphins need to be sellers at the trade deadline 

Manzano’s view: Fact 

The Miami Dolphins (2–5) should be sellers at the Nov. 5 trade deadline to improve the roster for next season and gain some salary cap flexibility.

They had an opportunity to right the ship with Tua Tagovailoa back on the field in Week 8, but the Dolphins lost at home last week to the Arizona Cardinals. Now it’s time to accept reality and welcome the changes. 

The Dolphins are already committed to the offensive core of Tagovailoa and wide receivers Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill after agreeing to lucrative contract extensions with the trio in the offseason. Miami can’t afford to rebuild, but the team desperately needs a new vision. The Dolphins should seriously ask themselves why they can’t beat playoff contenders and why this speedy offensive scheme hasn’t produced much when temperatures dip in December and January.

Perhaps the Dolphins can gain a second- or third-round pick by trading standout safety Jevon Holland, a pending free agent. The team already let defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and offensive guard Robert Hunt walk in free agency for nothing because they didn’t have the cap space to re-sign. They shouldn’t make the same mistake with Holland. 

The Dolphins need to repair the offensive line, which would be a lot easier with higher draft picks. Waive the white flag, Miami. It’s not your season. 

A team not named the 49ers will win the NFC West

Manzano’s view: Fiction

The NFC West pack caught up to the San Francisco 49ers because of injuries to skill players and subpar defensive performances. It’s anyone’s race with three teams tied for first place with 4–4 records, and the Los Angeles Rams are only a half-game behind.

But I’m not ready to say the Seattle Seahawks, Cardinals and Rams will take the NFC West title from the 49ers, who have proven they can shake off slow starts. San Francisco started 3–5 in 2021 and 3–4 in ’22, and had a three-game losing streak to drop to 5–3 last season. The 49ers made it to the NFC championship game in all three of those campaigns and won the division the past two seasons. 

It wouldn’t be wise to say the 49ers are back to being Super Bowl contenders because they haven’t played that way and could have a tough time beating the NFC North teams if they find a way into the postseason. The Cardinals, Rams and Seahawks aren’t the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. 

The 49ers have enough depth at wide receiver with rookie Ricky Pearsall showing impressive flashes in last week’s win against the Dallas Cowboys. But they’re going to need Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings to stay available after dealing with injuries this season. San Francisco also has depth at running back with Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo, and Christian McCaffrey is scheduled to return to practice after the bye week. Let’s not overlook the season that tight end George Kittle is having—the frontrunner for first-team All-Pro at the position.

The real problems reside on the defensive side. The 49ers nearly blew it last week when they allowed CeeDee Lamb to record two quick touchdowns in the second half. But maybe San Francisco can pull off a trade to help the defense and hold off the pesky teams in the NFC West. Last year, the 49ers landed edge rusher Chase Young at the deadline. 

The NFC West race is far from over, but it’s a safe bet to side with the team with star power, depth and experience. 

Jakobi Meyers is a logical trade target for Houston to replace Stefon Diggs 

Manzano’s view: Fact

The Texans should go all in for Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. They should act now after all of the wide receiver trades that have gone down in the past week.

Sure, the Texans could also go after New York Giants receiver Darius Slayton, New York Jets wideout Mike Williams or the many other wide receivers available. But Meyers’s knack for making plays closer to the line of scrimmage would benefit Stroud and second-year wideout Tank Dell, who struggled to find his role playing next to Diggs and Nico Collins.

Dell made an impact as a rookie because he assumed the role of a downfield threat. But there weren’t many opportunities for him in the first eight games this season because Collins and Diggs got most of the targets downfield. 

With Diggs out, the Texans should evaluate why the passing game has failed to generate many explosive plays, despite having three downfield playmakers. They need a receiver who can get open quickly and make plays in the middle of the field to punish teams for playing them deep. Meyers has 31 catches for 325 yards and two touchdowns this season.

The Raiders already traded Davante Adams, but they shouldn’t be concerned about losing another veteran playmaker, since they need to do everything they can to land a top-10 pick to draft a quarterback in April.