The NFL's preseason is somewhat meaningless. Teams get as much out of holding joint practices as they do from meaningless games. But for Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Riley Leonard, preseason Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals was going to matter.
Indy didn't play newly-named starting quarterback Daniel Jones or backup Anthony Richardson. Most of the Colts' starters weren't going to play either. There is no need to risk presumed key players to injury when the real games begin in two weeks.
Leonard had the potential to show a lot, however. Even NFL backups are better than the players the quarterback would have faced in college. With a great performance, the Colts would know the rookie is worth keeping on the roster, even if he doesn't play a down in 2025.
Key observations from Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Riley Leonard versus Bengals
The team has no trust in Leonard to throw deep (unless they have to)
The funny thing about preseason games and their meaninglessness is that it should allow teams to take chances they wouldn't normally take in a real game. This is especially true of Leonard, who wasn't asked to throw over the middle deep for almost all of the first half. Instead, he threw underneath or intermediate throws to the sideline.
Why not let Leonard air the ball out a bit? His raw numbers were excellent, but he wasn't asked to do much. Then, with all three timeouts left and just under two minutes left in the first half, Leonard led his team to midfield, where he launched a dart 59 yards to wide receiver Laquon Treadwell for a touchdown.
59 yard tuddy for Riley. 🤯
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 23, 2025
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/WdYwpoX1gh
Indy should have asked Leonard to do that more just to see what he is capable of.
The quarterback can run, but the offense doesn't use him the right way
Besides not allowing Leonard to throw deep, head coach Shane Steichen (who calls the plays for the offense) also doesn't do enough runs for Leonard. One thing everyone knew the one thing he could do well was run efficiently. Instead, the Colts seem bent on making him a pocket passer only.
The one time Leonard did see an opening, he ran for 14 yards. If he is forced to play in 2025, Steichen needs to make the offense more versatile to help Riley Leonard be at his best.
Riley Leonard should be a keeper on the roster
It might be really easy to misread Leonard's excellent first half against the Cincinnati Bengals and think he could develop into a starter soon. He was facing backups for Cincy, though, and the game speeds up with starters involved.
Still, the quarterback should definitely make the roster and might turn out to be a low-level starter one day. Maybe that day comes sooner than expected.