WESTFIELD — Anthony Richardson has waited a long time for the chance to play at Lucas Oil Stadium again.

Richardson hasn’t played in 10 months, dating back to the season-ending shoulder injury he suffered against Tennessee.

But he will be back on the field when the Colts open the preseason against the Broncos at 1 p.m. Sunday in a game televised on WXIN-59. Colts head coach Shane Steichen announced Friday that he plans to play most of the Indianapolis starters against Denver.

“I get to run out in front of the supporters and the fans again,” Richardson said. “They can see me live and in the flesh once again. … I’m thankful that Coach Shane’s letting me play this game, and I get to go out there and make a few plays.”

Richardson might not be on the field for a long time.

From the sounds of it, Indianapolis does not plan to leave its starters on the field for most of the first half.

“The starters will play a series or two,” Steichen said. “And then we’ll get the young guys in there and give them opportunity.”

Steichen also acknowledged that there might be one or two starters held out of Sunday’s game entirely, although he did not name anybody, preferring to say he’ll make the decision on a game-by-game basis. A proven star like Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman Jr. or DeForest Buckner would typically be the type of player a team holds out for the entire preseason.

But he does want to see the offense in action.

“Go out there, have a good first drive,” Steichen said. “That’s the plan. Go out there, go down and try to score a touchdown on the first drive.”

Richardson saw significant action in two of the three preseason games last year, playing 29 snaps in the opener against Buffalo and 37 against Philadelphia.

The Colts believe he can be handled differently this season. Back then, Richardson was a rookie who had never played a down of NFL football, and the Colts were trying to get him extra snaps.

Indianapolis will treat Richardson more like an established starter in this preseason.

“He got some experience last year with the games that he played in,” Steichen said. “Obviously, he had a good offseason, and training camp’s been good so far, so we’re excited to see him out there on Sunday.”

Richardson’s more excited than anybody.

“The main thing is just me returning to the field,” Richardson said. “I haven’t played a down of football in a while. It’s a blessing to just have an opportunity.”

Even if it doesn’t last a long time.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts will play Anthony Richardson, starters, vs. Broncos