The Indianapolis Colts biggest training camp battle could be for the backup role at quarterback. That's because whoever wins the QB2 spot between Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson could be the starter in Week 1 and maybe slightly beyond. A win or loss in those games could be the difference between making the playoffs and not.
Daniel Jones is obviously QB1, and while he hopes to be ready in Week 1 after returning from tearing his Achilles tendon in Week 14 last year, there is no guarantee he will. Even if he does come back soon, no guarantee that Jones will be fully healthy for the remainder of the season.
He has had three seasons cut short already due to various injuries. One placing a bet that Jones will continue to stay healthy for much of the rest of his career is likely wasting their money.
Riley Leonard should be the clear QB2 for the Indianapolis Colts over Anthony Richardson
In organized team activities, and with Jones limited due to not being physically ready to take all the QB1 reps, Richardson has gone more of those snaps than Leonard. This seems like a mistake for multiple reasons.
One is that while the team needs to win in 2026, should either of the backups need to play meaningful reps, Richardson is certainly not a safer option than Leonard. Richardson has been with the team for three seasons and has not shown that he can lead the team successfully consistently.
Leonard wasn't shown much trust in 2025 after Jones was forced to miss the final stretch of the season. Instead of Leonard, the team signed Philip Rivers, who, while having a high football IQ, simply wasn't physically able to do the job anymore. Once Leonard got a chance to start in Week 18, he was quite good against a great Houston Texans defense.
In other words, based on what the team has seen in limited play, Riley Leonard should be a better choice over what Indy has seen from Anthony Richardson, especially over his first two years in the league.
Another reason to go with Leonard is that he has three years left on his contract. Richardson has one and has requested a trade. At best, Richardson will only be in Indy one more season. He could also be dealt before the season, meaning that Leonard not running with the ones more could be costly.
In practice, according to Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star, Leonard struggled a bit with his accuracy, which can hopefully be corrected by better technique and playing more. Richardson, though, had issues with his decision-making, which has also crippled his efficiency and clearly cannot be corrected.
Should the Indianapolis Colts be forced to play Leonard or Richardson instead of Jones, the team can live with a few missed passes by Leonard. The team cannot succeed if Richardson is making the wrong reads consistently.
Add us as a preferred source on Google