According to head coach Shane Steichen, the Indianapolis Colts starters will play roughly two series at home against the Detroit Lions on Saturday afternoon for the team’s preseason finale—although neither starting quarterback Daniel Jones nor running back Jonathan Taylor will play (via FOX59/CBS4’s Mike Chappell):
Also of interesting note, is that Colts backup
quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr., who’s arguably outplayed challenger 2nd-year quarterback Riley Leonard for the team’s QB2 job behind Jones through two preseason games, will draw the start instead.
Given Leonard’s struggles through his first two preseason games, that likely is a vote of confidence from Steichen and the Colts offensive coaching staff that Richardson Sr. is currently in the driver’s seat for the Colts primary backup quarterback job, with the loser between him and Leonard being relegated to the team’s QB3 job.
That being said, there’s still one preseason game left to play, so if Richardson Sr. has a bad showing in the first half, and Leonard plays well with the 3s in the second half, perhaps it’s an open-ended competition again—as neither challenger has been able to clearly distance himself from the other so far in training camp and preseason.
Still, even though Richardson Sr. hasn’t been great, he’s shown the dynamic ability to make plays with his speed, athleticism, and legs, which is part of what made him so intriguing as a draft prospect when the Colts selected him with the 4th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He has starting experience under his belt and is entering his 4th year within Steichen’s offense, so he could potentially be considered one of the better backups in the league.
The question for the Colts becomes whether they’ll eventually receive a trade offer with meaningful enough value in return to consider moving Richardson Sr., and how much already limited backup practice reps they plan on investing in a quarterback, who more than likely has no intentions of re-signing here once his rookie contract expires at year-end—having already requested a trade from Indianapolis earlier this offseason.
