Sources – Colts bench Anthony Richardson, contact Joe Flacco

The Indianapolis Colts are benching Anthony Richardson and moving to Joe Flacco as their starting quarterback, sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Adam Schefter.

The Colts' coaches met Tuesday morning and ultimately decided to switch quarterbacks, sources told Fowler and Schefter, choosing Flacco over the struggling Richardson.

The benching came two days after Richardson asked to miss a game Sunday against the Houston Texans because, he later told reporters, he was “tired.”

Colts coach Shane Steichen said Monday that he was evaluating the team's quarterback situation, adding that Richardson's request to leave the game would not play a role in his decision.

Richardson said after Sunday's game that he told Steichen he “needed a break right there” as he left the game, tapping his helmet.

In Sunday's loss at Houston, Richardson was 10 of 32 for 175 yards. The No. 4 overall pick in last year's draft has a 44.4% completion rate this season, which is the fifth-worst in a player's first six games of a season since 2000, according to ESPN Research.

Steichen did not defend Richardson's decision to leave the game. He said Monday that he had a private conversation with the second-year quarterback, adding, “You can't take yourself out of it, and it's a learned experience for him to grow from.”

The Colts are bringing in Ryan Kelly, the longest-tenured player on the current roster, and said Richardson “knows it's not the standard he has to live up to and the rest of the team is demanding of him.”

The Colts (4-4) will now turn to the 39-year-old Flacco, who replaced the injured Richardson earlier this season and rushed for 716 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception in parts of three games.

Richardson is the second quarterback selected in the first round of last year's draft to be benched this season. The Carolina Panthers drafted No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young last month for veteran Andy Dalton.