Colts Head Coach Reveals Backup QB Battle Is Neck And Neck

The Indianapolis Colts are amidst their second consecutive summer that features a quarterback battle with Anthony Richardson Sr.

Last year, it was Richardson competing with Daniel Jones for the starting job, whereas now he's competing with 2025 sixth-round pick Riley Leonard for the Colts' backup role.

Leonard has been viewed as the de facto QB2 throughout the offseason, given that he flashed during his rookie campaign and proved to have a solid grasp on Shane Steichen's offensive scheme, but it's also because of Richardson's outlook.

Anthony Richardson's freak injury to his orbital bone in Week 6 of last season was what initially opened the door for Riley Leonard. The rookie quarterback slid in behind Jones after Richardson went down, and then was poised to start in the Colts' last four games of the regular season after Jones went down for the remainder of the season.

The Colts ultimately convinced Philip Rivers to come out of retirement and give them one last go as they try to right the ship and make the playoffs, but they may not have taken such a dramatic swing had Riley Leonard not been dealing with a leg injury around the time Jones went down.

What nearly solidifed Riley Leonard as the direct backup for not just the 2026-27 season, but for the foreseeable future, was Anthony Richardson Sr.'s trade request to kick off the NFL Scouting Combine. He has since returned to the team after the NFL Draft failed to net any trade suitors, and is now looking to reclaim his throne (i.e., his backup role he went into 2025 with).

The Colts kicked off their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, a three-day camp that brings the rookies and veterans together one final time before the team breaks for summer, and Richardson and Leonard are trading punches in their pursuit of the backup quarterback role.

Day 1 of Mandatory Minicamp

Colts HC S — Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen speaks ahead of the team’s veterans minicamp Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center in Indianapolis. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts' backup quarterback battle is beginning to heat up just as we're about to break for the summer.

Anthony Richardson Sr. is focusing on making the most of his situation, trying to be the best teammate as possible while he remains on the trade block. Unlike Richardson, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract, Riley Leonard still has multiple years remaining and is more so trying to continue acclimating to the NFL.

Voluntary OTAs saw starting quarterback Daniel Jones return to team drills and in turn took some valuable reps away from the aforementioned duo of backups, but both Richardson and Leonard still had plenty of 7-on-7 sessions to work with, as well as having the 11-on-11 work all to themselves (note: Jones will return to 11-on-11 play in training camp).

So, to kick off the Colts' three-day mandatory minicamp, head coach Shane Steichen revealed that the battle for QB2 is an even race at this point in time.

“Not right now," Steichen said when asked on day one of minicamp whether he'd seen either quarterback begin to separate in the competition.

"I mean, both of those guys are having a good offseason. They're both doing some really good things and it's back and forth right now, and so we'll see where that goes.”

Perhaps one will embarrass the other over the next two practices, but both had near-exact showings on day one of minicamp. Steichen explained that the plan is for both to continue splitting reps '50/50' throughout minicamp.

Richardson and Leonard both went 6-7 through the air during team drills, according to 107.5 The Fan's Kevin Bowen, with the latter's lone incompletion weighing a touch more negatively as it was a pick-six compared to the former's typical incompletion.

While Anthony Richardson Sr. has returned to practice and looks to be content with finishing out his rookie contract with the team that took a chance on him in the 2023 NFL Draft, he has not rescinded his trade request and could still be traded sometime before the mid-season trade deadline.

As of now, the battle for QB2 remains up for grabs, so we'll continue monitoring both young quarterback's minicamp performance to see if either separates once they leave for summer break.

Sign Up For the Colts Daily Digest - OnSI’s Indianapolis Colts Newsletter

Add us as a preferred source on Google