The Indianapolis Colts' 2026 schedule has not officially been released yet, but one rumor has Indy playing the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2 on Sunday Night Football. The timing couldn't be more odd for either team, really.
For the Chiefs, quarterback Patrick Mahomes might not yet be back from a left knee injury he suffered late last season. For the Colts, Daniel Jones might not be back after tearing his Achilles tendon in Week 14 last year. That could open the door for Riley Leonard to do something special.
The backup role for Indy is on the verge of becoming extremely important for the team's playoff chances next season. Jones could miss several games while still rehabbing. Indy knows he won't be back for training camp, and the highest hope has him returning for Week 1. That would be a quick return for an injury that can take a full year to recover from.
Riley Leonard could be starting for the Indianapolis Colts in primetime against the Kansas City Chiefs
Assuming Jones isn't back yet, the starter in the first few weeks could be Leonard or Anthony Richardson, assuming he isn't traded or released. The latter seems extremely unlikely, while the former is growing more unlikely with every passing day.
While Richardson has more starting experience, he hasn't been good. Leonard started in Week 18 against the Houston Texans and their great defense last season, and the rookie was very good. In fact, he was so good that it made the Colts look somewhat foolish for calling Philip Rivers out of retirement and starting him instead of the younger, faster, and stronger-armed Leonard.
The Notre Dame product also has three years left on his contract, while Richardson has one. AR5 certainly doesn't seem to offer Indianapolis a better chance to win than Leonard does, based on their individual histories, so starting Leonard would make more sense.
Daniel Jones was re-signed this offseason, but for only two years. He was excellent in the first half of last season, but not so much before he tore his Achilles tendon. If -- and that's a big if -- he comes back and isn't quite as good as he was in one-half of a season for the Indianapolis Colts, the team could be looking at a new future at quarterback by 2028. That could be Leonard.
Sure, Riley Leonard was a sixth-round draft pick in 2025, but that doesn't mean he cannot succeed. Brock Purdy has been fantastic for the San Francisco 49ers, for instance, and he was the last pick of the 2022 draft. Success is sometimes just about fit, and Leonard could be a great fit in Colts head coach Shane Steichen's system.
Maybe he gets to prove that by starting early next season. And maybe he gets a chance to prove it against the Kansas City Chiefs in primetime in Week 2.
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