Anthony Richardson vs. Riley Leonard: Colts QB2 Battle Goes Live

The Indianapolis Colts are about to turn an abstract quarterback debate into live preseason evidence. Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard are expected to play in Thursday’s opener at New England, while Daniel Jones is slated to sit, according to a fresh report on head coach Shane Steichen’s plan.

Confirmed: Indianapolis lists Richardson and Leonard on its current quarterback depth, and the official Colts roster page identifies Leonard as No. 15 and Richardson as No. 5. Jones remains the veteran at the top of the room after signing a contract extension with the Colts in March.

Attributed reporting: Stampede Blue reported on August 10 that Steichen plans to play Richardson and Leonard against the Patriots and that neither has separated in the competition for the No. 2 job. Football Nation has not independently observed every camp rep, so that separation assessment belongs to the report, not to the team’s official record.

The preseason plan raises the stakes

The preseason opener should provide the first public test of how Indianapolis is dividing real game work. The order of appearance will matter less than the responsibilities each quarterback receives: third downs, pressure looks, red-zone snaps and two-minute situations are more revealing than an early completion percentage built on safe throws.

The Colts’ August 8 post below contains a playable seven-second practice clip of a current quarterback rep. The visible passer is Leonard, No. 15. It is useful current context, not proof that he has won the job; a social clip cannot show the full install, the defensive call or the unsuccessful reps around it.

Richardson’s preseason checklist begins before the ball travels. The Colts need clean exchanges, timely protection calls and repeatable footwork. His arm strength and rushing ability can create plays Leonard cannot, but backup quarterbacking is often judged by how little chaos a player adds when the starter leaves unexpectedly.

Body photo: Anthony Richardson with the Indianapolis Colts during the 2023 season. Creator: Tennessee Titans. Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 3.0. Used without alteration.

What Anthony Richardson must prove

Richardson’s ceiling has never been the question. At 6-foot-4 with rare movement skills and a powerful downfield arm, he changes the geometry of an offense. The problem has been availability and consistency. The Colts placed him on injured reserve in October 2025 after a fractured orbital bone, another interruption in a career that has struggled to generate long stretches of stable development.

The New York Post’s August 6 camp report described Richardson’s 2026 work as a roller coaster: impressive deep throws paired with bobbled shotgun snaps. That is attributed reporting, but it captures the exact tension Indianapolis must resolve. The explosive play is valuable only if the offense can reach it without losing possessions to operation errors.

Against New England, watch whether Richardson takes the available completion when the defense removes the shot play. His best audition will not necessarily be a 50-yard throw. It may be a sequence in which he identifies pressure, gets the protection set, hits a checkdown and keeps the next down manageable.

Why Riley Leonard can win the No. 2 job

Leonard’s case is built differently. The Colts selected him in the sixth round of the 2025 draft, and his official player page lists 415 passing yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions from his rookie season. Those numbers do not guarantee progression, but they give the coaching staff professional tape and a baseline for Year 2.

A backup does not need to match the starter’s physical gifts. He must keep the offense on schedule with a limited practice workload. Leonard can strengthen his case by getting the ball out on time, managing the huddle and avoiding the negative plays that force a coordinator to shrink the call sheet.

Football Nation’s earlier Colts training-camp report framed the offense around stability while Jones works back from his Achilles injury. That same principle defines Leonard’s path: if he looks more predictable snap to snap, the Colts may value that floor even when Richardson owns the higher ceiling.

Football Nation analysis: the real decision

The Colts are not simply choosing the better athlete. They are choosing which risk profile belongs behind a rehabbing starter. Richardson offers a chance to preserve explosive quarterback run concepts and vertical pressure. Leonard offers a more conventional developmental backup whose value rises if he can execute the base offense without extensive changes.

That distinction matters for fantasy football, but only conditionally. Neither player should be drafted for an expected weekly role while Jones holds the starting job. Richardson would have the more immediate streaming ceiling if forced into action because quarterback rushing can create points before passing efficiency stabilizes. Leonard would be a deeper-league watch whose value depends on volume and matchup.

The strongest preseason evaluation will track four things: operation before the snap, turnover-worthy decisions, third-down conversions and performance after the first mistake. One highlight can win a news cycle. A backup job is usually won by making the coaching staff believe the next series will remain functional.

What to watch Thursday

First, note which quarterback enters after Jones sits and whether the same player receives the higher-leverage situations. Second, watch the center exchanges and protection adjustments, not only the throws. Third, compare how each responds when the first read is covered. Finally, separate confirmed game evidence from the easy narrative that one drive has settled the room.

Richardson can still change the direction of his Colts career because his physical ceiling is exceptional. Leonard can win the job by making fewer parts of the offense feel uncertain. Thursday’s snaps will not finish the competition, but they should tell Indianapolis whether the gap between volatility and reliability is beginning to close.

Sources

Reporting and official records: Colts preseason-plan report; Anthony Richardson injury transaction; Riley Leonard official profile; Daniel Jones contract extension; and New York Post camp report.

Cover photo credit: Anthony Richardson taking a snap for Indianapolis in 2023. Creator: Tennessee Titans. Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 3.0. Used without alteration.