The Colts still haven’t settled the quarterback job behind Daniel Jones, and after Saturday’s preseason finale, neither Riley Leonard nor Anthony Richardson Sr. sounded interested in winning it by default.
Leonard put the competition in blunt terms after Indianapolis’ 25-16 loss to the Detroit Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium. He said the battle should come down to which quarterback can reach his ceiling, not who merely avoids being the worse of two shaky performances.
“My best is good enough to win, and Anthony (Richardson Sr.’s) best is good enough to win. You never want to win a competition because maybe you both played bad and you just didn’t play as bad.
… Who can reach their full potential?” Leonard said, per ClutchPoints.
The Athletic’s James Boyd posted the remarks Saturday night.
Richardson answered with the same kind of calm. Boyd also shared a clip of Richardson saying he is “forever rooting for Riley” and wants to “put my best foot forward”
Anthony Richardson Sr. on the #Colts ’ backup QB competition with Riley Leonard:
“I’m rooting for everybody to win. … I’m forever rooting for Riley, and I’m just trying to do my part and put my best foot forward and leaving the rest up to God.” pic.twitter.com/tOW59WKpJJ
- James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) August 29, 2026
The timing makes this a real decision, not just offseason theater. NFL teams must get down to 53 players by 6 p.m.
ET on Sunday, Aug. 30, according to CBS Sports. The expectation has been that Indianapolis keeps three quarterbacks, and Boyd’s 53-man projection for The Athletic had Jones, Leonard and Richardson making the cut, with Easton Stick out.
What happened against Detroit didn’t settle much, but it did add more fuel to the discussion.
Richardson opened the game and played the first quarter. He went 7 of 10 for 80 yards, according to RotoWire. Nathan Brown of the Indianapolis Star noted that Richardson mixed sharp throws into tight windows with a handful of misses, but still looked like the better option if Jones is unavailable because of what he brings as a runner.
Leonard handled the second quarter. RotoWire listed him at 3 of 7 for 48 yards and an interception. Brown wrote that Leonard led a clean scoring drive before a later possession ended with a forced throw under pressure.
Shane Steichen gave both quarterbacks credit afterward, while also pointing to the turnover in the red zone. “I thought Anthony had some good drives for sure and did some good things,” Steichen said, per ClutchPoints. “I think Riley did some good things as well, I just obviously don’t want to turn it over in the redzone.”
Those totals were compiled by Sports Illustrated. Noah Compton later argued Richardson emerged from the Lions game as the favorite, and Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams came to a similar view for NBC Sports.
That still isn’t the same as an official depth-chart announcement. Steichen has avoided setting a public deadline, and in mid-August he told the Indianapolis Star he would “let that thing play out.”
Jones, meanwhile, never took the preseason field. The Colts have kept him sidelined as he works back from the torn right Achilles he suffered in Week 14 last season at Jacksonville.
The team’s official schedule lists the Sept. 13 home opener against the Baltimore Ravens at 1 p.m. ET, and Indianapolis has treated Jones’ return as on track for that game.
He signed a two-year deal this offseason.
The backup spot matters because last season showed exactly why Indianapolis needs more than one usable answer behind Jones. Jones got hurt.
Richardson’s year ended after two games when an orbital fracture during Week 6 pregame band work knocked him out, as Boyd reported for The Athletic. Leonard, a rookie last season, appeared in five games and made one start, finishing 39 of 67 for 415 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions, along with six carries for 27 yards and two scores, per NFL.com.
Philip Rivers came out of retirement to start late in the year.
Richardson’s 2024 season remains the biggest sample the Colts have on him: 1,814 passing yards, eight touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and 86 rushes for 499 yards and six scores, also per NFL.com. He has missed significant time in each of his first three seasons, and any talk that he is now the healthiest he has ever been goes beyond what the source material says.
The fit question is pretty clear. Offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said in camp the staff wants a quarterback who can move the offense and win games if Jones is out, not just a tidy completion rate, as relayed by Colts Wire.
Richardson still brings the designed runs and scramble ability that can tilt a game. Leonard, a 2025 sixth-round pick out of Notre Dame, has looked more comfortable on the short, in-rhythm throws Steichen’s offense leans on, but the red-zone interception Saturday didn’t help the case for him as the safer choice.
Indianapolis finished 8-9 in 2025, matching 2024, missed the playoffs for a fifth straight season, and has not won the AFC South since 2014. The backup quarterback race doesn’t decide all of that. But if Jones goes down again, the Colts will need either Richardson or Leonard to keep the season from going sideways.
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