The Indianapolis Colts have a Daniel Jones problem, but from that simple theory comes a complicated, and potentially franchise-altering, situation. Jones might not be healthy enough to start the 2026 season, so who his backup is may have a drastic effect on the outcome of the season.
Will it be Riley Leonard or will it be Anthony Richardson? As for the latter, it is becoming clearer that he is likely to be with the team at least until training camp. He has asked to be traded, but hasn't so far, and moving him now would appear to be odd timing. Both for the team acquiring him and Indy.
More likely, now that the team has chosen not to pick up the quarterback's fifth-year option, he could be dealt during the season to a team that has a sudden quarterback problem they didn't initially foresee. That could be due to a starter getting injured or simply being ineffective.
Riley Leonard versus Anthony Richardson could shape the Indianapolis Colts' 2026 season
What is easy to forget after Colts fans watched the offense being elite in the first half of last season is that there appeared to be a roster battle between Jones and Richardson for QB1 in training camp. Meanwhile, 2025 sixth-round draft pick Leonard was an afterthought.
During the season, the team lost Richardson to an eye injury, his latest in a long string of injuries, and Jones to a torn Achilles tendon (after he suffered a broken fibula in his other leg a few weeks before). Instead of trusting Leonard, Indianapolis called long-retired Philip Rivers, and he became an immediate starter for several games. The team didn't win any of them.
Then, in a meaningless Week 18 game, the Colts gave Leonard a chance to start against a great Houston Texans defense, and the rookie quarterback was very good. Whether Indy should have started Leonard over Rivers is a debate that will never have a real answer.
But did Leonard do enough to earn QB2 duties heading into a 2026 season that needs to end with the team making the playoffs or see general manager Chris Ballard and/or head coach Shane Steichen lose their job? This might also mean that Leonard is the temporary starter at the beginning of the season if Jones isn't fully recovered from his Achilles injury.
The answer to the first part of that last paragraph should be yes. For one, Richardson, even if he does stick with the team and can't be traded, will be a free agent in the 2027 offseason. Leonard will have two years left on his rookie deal after next season. It is better to build Leonard's level of confidence and security in his place with the team than in Richardson's.
The truth is that Indianapolis Colts fans can't know for sure whether the team would have Anthony Richardson or Riley Leonard be QB2. But as they might be QB1 for a few games into the new season, the outcome of the roster battle would have monumental meaning on the outcome of 2026.
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