Anthony Richardson, Riley Leonard get chances with starters in battle for Colts backup QB job

INDIANAPOLIS — Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard are getting ready for one last chance to prove themselves outright for the Colts' No. 2 quarterback job.

Richardson will start Saturday and play the first quarter, then give way to Leonard for the second quarter. Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen hasn’t made a decision on his No. 2 yet, and on Thursday, he gave both quarterbacks a chance to play with the No. 1 offense in practice as a chance to get ready for the preseason finale against the Lions.

The two quarterbacks produced mixed results.

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Richardson’s first chance was a little herky-jerky, misfiring on two throws after an early completion to Coleman Owen and taking a “sack” from Laiatu Latu, although Richardson finished that play — the Colts coaches told him to play on — by firing a laser to Owen at the back of the end zone.

The play seemed to get Richardson going. He completed four of his last five throws, including a touchdown pass to tight end JJ Galbreath on a fourth down to end practice. Richardson also threw touchdowns to Anthony Gould and Deion Burks in the red zone.

Leonard was a little more uneven. For most of training camp, it has looked like Leonard has held the ball a little too long in the pocket, and he did the same Thursday. Leonard completed 4 of 8 throws, but he took a “sack” from Latu and misfired on a handful of occasions. Leonard did throw a touchdown pass to a streaking Gould over the middle to end his first period.

Interior depth

Veteran defensive tackle DeForest Buckner has looked good coming off of back surgery.

Indianapolis has also assembled a group of players who can help take some of the load off of him. Defensive end Micheal Clemons, a free agent pickup from the Jets, has looked better on the interior than the edge throughout training camp, although he sat out Thursday’s session. Adetomiwa Adebawore provides a unique blend of speed and leverage as a pass rusher.

Colby Wooden, the defensive tackle the Colts picked up by trading Zaire Franklin to the Packers, offers a little bit of both as a run stopper and pass rusher.

His skills were on display on Thursday. Wooden had a “sack” of Leonard, another “sack” of Easton Stick and looked disruptive throughout the practice.

First day off

Daniel Jones has done just about everything in training camp.

Fresh off signing a two-year, $88 million contract in the offseason, Jones beat everybody’s expectations by being ready to go at the start of training camp, less than eight months removed from the torn Achilles tendon that ended his 2025 season.

Jones then took every snap with the first-team offense throughout training camp.

Or, at least, he did until Thursday, when he sat out to give Richardson and Leonard chances to play with the first-team offense.

Jones completed 3 of 4 passes in his only practice period, hitting Keenan Allen twice and Mo Alie-Cox once despite good coverage from linebackers Akeem Davis-Gaither and Jaylon Carlies. Faced with a fourth-and-goal on a “gotta have it” situation, Jones couldn’t find an open receiver and forced a throw that Hunter Wohler picked off.

Offense vs. defense

Steichen often likes to mark the end of certain periods of the offseason by holding a competition between the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

Indianapolis held a punt catching competition between the offensive and defensive linemen to end the preseason on Thursday. Offensive guard Josh Sills and tackle Blake Freeland each caught one and missed one. Undrafted nose tackle Cam Ball caught both of his opportunities to give the defense a chance, and after an ugly first attempt by rookie defensive end George Gumbs Jr., Gumbs made a leaping catch over his head to give the defense the win.

Roll call

Wide receiver Alec Pierce practiced for the first time this season.

Finally activated off the physically unable to perform, or PUP, list, Pierce did positional drills with the quarterbacks, then spent the rest of practice working with trainers on another field.

Buckner (veteran rest), slot receiver Josh Downs (calf), strong safety A.J. Haulcy (ankle), tight end Tyler Warren (groin), tight end Will Mallory (thumb), cornerback Johnathan Edwards and defensive end Micheal Clemons did not practice.

Quick hitters

Keenan Allen continues to impress. Allen caught three passes in Thursday’s practice, bringing his total to 13 over three days this week. … Veteran wideout Laquon Treadwell played opposite Allen, with Owen in the slot, for most of the practice. … Ulysses Bentley IV made a nice catch in the flat from Stick.

Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Anthony Richardson, Riley Leonard get chances with starters in battle for Colts backup QB job

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