Colts Officially Name Backup QB Behind Daniel Jones

After months of speculation, the Indianapolis Colts have now named their backup quarterback.

On Thursday, head coach Shane Steichen announced that Anthony Richardson Sr. will be the QB2 behind starter Daniel Jones, with Riley Leonard likely serving as the emergency third quarterback on gamedays.

"Anthony will be our backup quarterback," Steichen declared. "I thought he did some good things through camp. He's continued to develop and grow, and learn and continue to get better. And same thing with Riley (Leonard). He's continuing to learn, grow, and get better. And with both those guys, just consistency, and that's going to be part of their job going through this season, getting those scout-team reps. That's going to be big for them because you never know when their number could get called.

This is the latest chapter in the interesting story that is Richardson's offseason. In February, he requested a trade from the Colts, but nothing materialized throughout the offseason.

When the offseason program began, Richardson initially stayed away, working out on his own in Florida. Eventually, he did report to the team and was told he could compete for the backup spot with Leonard.

Richardson and Leonard split the first-team reps during the offseason program in May and mandatory minicamp in June before Jones was recovered from his Achilles injury.

The competition between Richardson and Leonard continued throughout training camp, as they split second-team reps somewhat evenly through late July and August in camp and the preseason.

"I think we take everything into account with those guys," Steichen said recently about determining the QB2. "Especially in the preseason when you're not playing the starters, it is important for those guys to earn a spot on this team and we look through that as well. Those game operations are important, so we take it all into account."

This summer's competition likely wasn't an easy decision for the Colts to make.

Richardson, entering Year 4, is still searching for consistency in his mechanics and footwork, which leads to lapses in accuracy. He also struggled with fielding shotgun snaps, which lasted for much of the summer.

However, the flashes of "Wow!" plays, as always, were there.

Leonard, after an impressive showing in brief opportunities as a rookie, seemed to be placing too much mental burden on himself to be productive rather than playing freely.

Thursday, Steichen was finally ready to name his backup.

“I thought Anthony played some better ball in the preseason," Steichen said. "I think both of them had pretty good camps – things they can both improve on. But I thought he did some good things in the games.”

As for the status of Richardson's trade request, it sounds increasingly less likely. This week, when Colts general manager Chris Ballard spoke to reporters and previewed the season, he said:

"He (Richardson) is going to be an Indianapolis Colt this year."

Leonard now enters the 2026 season the same way he did in 2025, as the third quarterback. However, over the last year, he's taken significantly more valuable reps in the offseason, which should help his development.