Anthony Richardson's Stock Soars After Colts' Preseason Opener

Anthony Richardson giveth, and Anthony Richardson taketh away.

That's been the story of the former fourth overall draft selection's short career thus far, with massive highs and lows defining the quarterback's NFL career through three seasons.

But during the Indianapolis Colts' 2026 preseason opener against the New England Patriots, Anthony Richardson wasn't perfect, but he was more good than bad, and that's all you can ask for at this point.

Richardson has been cleared from his season-ending orbital eye injury for months, but his training camp showing entering preseason play has been less than ideal and brought concern that he'll never fully recover.

However, in the Colts' aforementioned preseason opener, Richardson appeared to have turned a corner on what had been an unfortunate 2026 campaign prior.

AR Settles In

Anthony Richardson needed a strong showing in the Colts' preseason opener after an uninspired training camp showing up to this point. He seemingly had no connection with any of his backup passcatchers and had constant snap issues throughout practice, and was trending in the wrong direction.

After displaying some poor tendencies early on against the Patriots that resulted in multiple turnovers, Richardson settled in and looked the best he has all offseason.

Richardson's aforementioned two turnovers, a fumble and an interception, were both poor plays on his part, but the interception, while not the best ball, was more than catchable, but bounced off and fell into Patriots cornerback Kindle Vildor's hands.

Instead of letting his early struggles get the best of him, Richardson rebounded in a big way to close out the first half. He delivered two promising drives to end the half, scoring on a red zone rush in the first, before delivering a six-play, 49-yard, 28-second drive that set up a 61-yard end-of-half field goal attempt.

Richardson got the first half of tonight's preseason matchup, whereas Leonard was dealt clean-up duties, and the two will flip in next week's game against the Atlanta Falcons. Naturally, this meant he was with the second-team unit while Leonard rolled with the reserves, but still, it was an overall impressive showing.

In one half against the New England Patriots, Anthony Richardson went 11-14 (78.5%) for 145 yards (10.4 average), 1 passing touchdown, and 1 interception through the air, while also adding a team-high 53 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, and 1 fumble lost on six carries.

Richardson undoubtedly looked the best he has throughout the preseason and has given himself a real shot at the Colts' QB2 opening.

AR's Future in Colts' Offense

The Indianapolis Colts allowed Anthony Richardson to seek a trade throughout the offseason, but after no suitors came calling, he returned to finish out his rookie contract with the team that took a shot on him in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Head coach Shane Steichen has preached consistency in the Colts' uninspired QB2 battle between Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard, and the former answered those demands despite struggling early.

“The guy that’s going to be most consistent is going to win that job," Colts' head coach Shane Steichen said after training camp practice last week. "Those guys are battling. It’s back and forth right now. Obviously we will grade the tape, go through it and get better every day.”

Yes, it's not ideal that the Colts' former fourth-overall pick is battling their recent sixth-round pick for a backup role, but this is the reality, and Richardson showed up when he needed to most.

Richardson's subpar training camp showing suggested that he'd need a big turnaround in preseason play to earn the Colts' backup quarterback role beneath Daniel Jones, and so far, he's stepping up to the challenge.

Who knows, Richardson may not only win the Colts' QB2 opening, but he may force Shane Steichen to utilize his legs in the red zone during the regular season.

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