Riley Leonard has spent the first stretch of Colts training camp making one thing harder and harder to ignore: he looks like the better backup quarterback right now.
That matters because Indianapolis has a clear No. 1 in Daniel Jones, but the battle behind him is already taking shape. Leonard is working against former first-round pick Anthony Richardson for the No. 2 job, and early reports from camp have tilted toward the former Notre Dame star. Richardson is still in the mix, and the Colts are still planning to keep him for now, but Leonard has opened camp with the stronger showing.
The numbers from the first few days back that up. Leonard has been more active than Richardson, and at one point he was 8-for-15 while Richardson was 1-for-3. Leonard has also been getting the heavier second-team workload, while Jones has handled most of the first-team reps.
One of Leonard’s biggest moments came on a 50-yard touchdown pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who is competing for a No. 3 receiver role. That play stood out, but it was not the only sign of momentum for Leonard.
According to Colts insiders from The Indy Star, Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown, Leonard took command on Day 4 of camp and handled all the 2-minute drill reps while Richardson watched from the side.
That was also when the deep connection with Westbrook-Ikhine happened.
The early camp buzz has put Leonard’s name in the spotlight more often, and while that does not settle anything for the long haul, it does give him a real edge in the moment.
The stakes here are obvious. If Jones were to miss time, the Colts would need a backup they trust, and the source material points out that injuries have been a recurring issue for Jones, who is coming off his biggest injury.
If that happens, there is no Philip Rivers 3.0 waiting around. It would be Leonard or Richardson.
For now, Leonard is the one making the stronger case. If this stretch keeps going the way it has, he could turn a camp competition into a very real turning point for Richardson’s future in Indianapolis.
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