INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts are headed into their Labor Day break with a few answers now in hand, and one of the biggest ones involves the quarterback room.
Shane Steichen announced Thursday that Anthony Richardson Sr. will open the 2026 season as the team’s backup quarterback. Steichen said Richardson earned the job over Riley Leonard because his play was better this preseason.
That puts Richardson in a very different spot than a year ago, when he arrived in the same QB2 role but after losing the starting job. Richardson said the area he’s made the biggest strides is how he manages the game.
He remains one snap away from being back in the middle of things, and Steichen may still look at some short-yardage packages for him on game day.
The Colts also got encouraging news on Alec Pierce. Steichen said the wideout was a full participant in Thursday’s practice and took part in team drills. Pierce has been dealing with an ankle/heel issue, but with 10 days left before the opener, the signs point toward him being available against the Ravens and possibly seeing plenty of action.
Keenan Allen’s situation stayed largely behind closed doors. Unlike Chris Ballard earlier in the week, both Steichen and Allen kept their comments tight when asked about Allen’s weekend arrest.
Steichen said Allen’s status for Week 1 won’t change: “No, he’ll play Week 1.” Allen declined to discuss the matter directly, saying, “Because it’s an ongoing legal matter, I’m not going to discuss it,” and added, “I’m just focused on football and being a good teammate.”
He wore No. 11 at Thursday’s practice after previously wearing No. 10 in the preseason finale. Allen said he expects a final decision on Monday, when the team takes pictures, though Laquon Treadwell is already wearing No. 13, the number Allen has used for most of his career.
Daniel Jones also met with reporters Thursday after being a healthy camp participant throughout training camp. Jones said that, aside from being hit, he feels like he has simulated everything that can happen in a game.
The Colts’ five captains for 2026 are Jones, Jonathan Taylor, Quenton Nelson, DeForest Buckner and Cam Bynum. Taylor and Bynum are new additions to the group; Zaire Franklin and Kenny Moore II were captains last season. Taylor also wore the captain’s title in 2022 and 2024.
There’s still one notable injury situation to watch on the back end. Rookie A.J. Haulcy has now missed multiple weeks of practice with an ankle issue, which raises the possibility that second-year safety Hunter Wohler will open as the starter next to Bynum.
The Colts return Monday and then settle into a Wednesday-through-Friday practice schedule before their Sunday opener against the Ravens on September 13 th.
In Other News...
Anthony Richardsons Colts Future Just Took A Surprising Turn
Anthony Richardson Sr. is staying put in Indianapolis, and for now hes moving into a different spot on the quarterback depth chart. The Colts have settled on Daniel Jones as the starter, with Richardson backing him up and Riley Leonard serving as the emergency third quarterback after a competitive offseason and training camp battle that kept the room under a microscope.
Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard both confirmed Richardson will remain with the team even after his earlier trade request, a notable turn in a situation that had been drawing plenty of attention around the Colts. The decision leaves Indianapolis with a clear order at quarterback, but it also keeps Richardson in the building, where the next phase of his Colts future will unfold behind Jones. [Read more 🡒]
Colts May Open Week 1 With A Rookie Problem They Didn't Expect
The Colts went into the spring and summer expecting rookie help on defense, but Week 1 could arrive before either of those additions is ready to take a starting role. Indianapolis drafted linebacker CJ Allen and safety AJ Haulcy with the idea of filling the void left by departing players, yet the opener against the Ravens may feature a different look if the rookies are not in place by kickoff.
Haulcy is still working back from an ankle injury and has not practiced recently, while Allen has returned from injury but has not locked down a first-team job. General manager Chris Ballard said Haulcy is progressing, though he would not put a timetable on his return, which leaves the Colts sorting through other options such as Hunter Wohler, Akeen Davis-Gaither and Jaylon Carlies as the opener gets closer. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Practice Collision Changed Two Careers In One Brutal Moment
An August practice at Grand Park was supposed to be one of those summer tune-up sessions where reserve players get live reps and coaches get a cleaner look at the back end of the roster. Instead, one collision changed the course of two careers when Colts safety Trey Washington delivered an illegal hip-drop tackle on running back Salvon Ahmed, a play that left Ahmed with a severe right ankle injury and ended his season before it really got going.
Washington later said the move was instinctive and not dirty, even though the technique is banned by the NFL, and Ahmed has since forgiven him. The strange part of the story is how quickly the two men moved in opposite directions from the same moment, with Ahmed trying to recover from the injury and Washington working his way to his NFL debut in October 2025. [Read more 🡒]