What is becoming clearer at Indianapolis Colts training camp is that quarterback Daniel Jones looks really good, but also that the team cannot afford for him to get injured this season. Backups Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson do not appear capable of carrying the team to success.
Offensive coordinator Jim Bobo Cooter hasn't (and won't) come out and say both backups have been underwhelming in camp, but one can read between the lines fairly easily. After the team's Saturday session, the observations he made about Leonard and Richardson won't make any Indy fan feel better about any situation that involves Jones might significant time.
Cooter said of Leonard, according to The Athletic's Jame Boyd, "Riley’s had some really nice plays. He’s moved the offense at times. Shoot, we’re striving for more consistency out of our sorta second and third units as we go against that second and third defense. Specifically (in a scrimmage), that second and third defense got the best (of the offense)."
Indianapolis Colts' backup quarterbacks aren't look very good in training camp so far
About Richardson, Cooter was even less positive, saying, "He’s still working through it. There’s really good days; there’s really good periods. Like all of our guys, you’re gonna make a mistake here and there and (we) try to go fix that...There's improvement to be made in all areas, consistency being one of those."
Leonard is entering his second season and didn't get many reps as QB2 in last year's camp. He was as prepared as he could have been late in the season, though, and started in Week 18. He was pretty good, but has been inconsistent in camp.
Richardson has been mostly plain bad in camp. He has shown off the strength of his arm, sure, but he has also shown he can drop snaps from center with the worst of quarterbacks. He hasn't done that simply a couple of times, but many. There is no excuse for such play.
The quarterback also has no real excuse for continuing to be befuddled by what the defense is trying to do in camp. He is entering his fourth season with the team, and his second going against defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo in practice.
More importantly, Richardson has only had Shane Steichen to lead him on offense. Steichen's system can be complex, but he's a smart coach. If Richardson cannot find a way to be successful in the scheme after so many seasons, he likely never will and doesn't need to be on the roster.
READ MORE: Colts' Anthony Richardson is falling apart with no sign of recovery
Leonard at least has the excuse of only being with the team for one full season. His inconsistency is somewhat to be expected. If he were to be given all of the QB2 reps, that might help his growth, but the Indianapolis Colts are somewhat confusingly rotating QB2 reps between Richardson and Leonard.
To make matters worse, as Cooter pointed out, Leonard and Richardson are practicing against the Colts' defensive starters. The group is good overall, but the depth behind them is a real question mark. If the defensive backups are getting the better of Richardson and Leonard, imagine what the starters would do. Moreover, imagine what another team's starters would do.
Ultimately, that is the part that matters. Daniel Jones proved in the first half of last season, and so far in this year's training camp, that he can lead the offense to high-end success. He's also shown he can get injured a lot. He needs to stay healthy this season because Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson aren't showing in camp that they would be good in real games.
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