WESTFIELD — The health of Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson’s right shoulder has dominated the airwaves this offseason.

For good reason.

Richardson’s rookie season ended when he went down under the weight of a Titans tackler last October, spraining Richardson’s AC joint and forcing the rookie to go through shoulder surgery, a procedure the quarterback and the team decided was the right move to make sure it would not be a problem in the future.

Richardson is back on the field at training camp now, and the message coming from the Colts on his throwing shoulder is simple.

Colts camp observations: QB Anthony Richardson on the move right away

Both quarterback and team believe the plan worked, the shoulder is ready and it would be a mistake to limit Richardson’s running in an attempt to keep him healthy.

“My legs have always been one of my superpowers,” Richardson said. “Trying to take that away from me, I don’t think that’s a good thing for this offense. It’s just, more so, me playing a little bit smarter and learning how to take care of myself for my teammates.”

There has been just one blip in Richardson’s recovery, the team’s decision to hold him out of the final mandatory minicamp practice this summer due to soreness in his right shoulder.

A story the Colts have downplayed since convening on Grand Park this week.

“That was just a fatigue thing,” Richardson said. “I just started throwing earlier than planned. I didn’t really have any problems through OTAs and minicamp, then just that last day caught up to me. I’m feeling good, feeling better than ever.”

The Colts know they need to keep Richardson healthy.

For the first time in a long time, Indianapolis opens training camp with the same plan at starting quarterback that it had the year before.

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The sense of calm and continuity at the position is not lost on veterans like center Ryan Kelly, middle linebacker Zaire Franklin and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, players who’ve been around for every peak and valley of the roller coaster the Colts were riding at quarterback before the team tied its fate to Richardson.

But Buckner also acknowledged the team is aware that the plan went awry when Richardson injured his shoulder last season, and the Colts need their young quarterback on the field as much as possible.

“God willing, we keep everybody healthy, Anthony learns to slide every once in a while, we’ll be good,” Buckner said. “The Lord blessed him with so many talents.”

Buckner’s comment came with a smile and a laugh.

There was also some truth to it. Richardson has framed the changes he needs to make to his game around the need to make smart decisions, knowing when he can get down or get out of bounds, and when he needs to use his power to try to pick up the extra yard.

Because limiting Richardson’s ability to make plays with his legs would be a mistake.

“People ask this, too, a lot, it’s just like: ‘Hey, are you going to limit the run game?’” Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen said. “I kind of think, like, shoot, are you going to limit Steph Curry from shooting 3-pointers? Well, that’s one of Anthony’s strengths, right? So we’re not going to get away from that. That’s what he does well.”

The Colts have now spent two seasons dreaming about the possibility of teaming Richardson’s dynamic, big-play running ability with the home run threat that is Jonathan Taylor at running back.

Richardson fueled those dreams by averaging 5.4 yards per carry and rushing for four touchdowns in just 173 offensive snaps last season. Finding ways to stress defenses with the threat of Richardson’s legs has been foremost in Steichen’s mind throughout the offseason.

“I mean, if we go into a game plan, and we see something that we like, the quarterback run game looks good, I mean, it’s going to be up,” Steichen said. “It’s probably going to be up every week, but how much we use it will be determined by our opponent.”

A running quarterback is increasingly a must in the modern NFL, a weapon that stresses defenses in a way.

Especially if a player is a young passer like Richardson.

“There’s not a lot of quarterbacks in the league left that are not mobile, you know what I mean?” Indianapolis linebacker E.J. Speed said. “Everybody’s got a quarterback that can at least take off for a few steps. … We just got the best one.”

Richardson is going to run.

Probably more than most quarterbacks. The possibilities are too endless for Steichen to ignore.

The hope is that Richardson can run without suffering the kind of season-altering injury that cut short his rookie year in Indianapolis.

“It’s back-and-forth trust,” Richardson said. “I know he’s not going to call 15 QB runs in a game, and I know he’s not going to want me to try to run everybody over every play.”

Richardson believes the shoulder is healthy.

The Colts need him to stay that way.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts will run Anthony Richardson despite rookie-season injuries