Shane Steichen has continued to reiterate that Daniel Jones is the Indianapolis Colts' starting quarterback. However, ESPN's Ben Solak predicts that it is only a matter of time before a change is made.
Solak's exact prediction is that in Week 10, Riley Leonard will be starting over both Jones and Anthony Richardson.
At this point in the season, the Colts' efforts to turn things around have likely waned, and the organization's full focus will shift to the future. In short, there are two reasons why Solak believes the Colts turn to Leonard.
For starters, while Solak acknowledges that Jones' play against Minnesota wasn't "particularly bad," he points out that the game plan going into this game wasn't one that screams that the Colts have a lot of confidence
in Jones, who has struggled this season.
"Steichen called a sterilized game Sunday, treating his quarterback less like a trusted playmaker and more like a radioactive isotope," Solak wrote.
Solak mentions that among all the changes that could take place in the coming months for the Colts, finding a bridge quarterback for the 2027 season -- since Indianapolis is without a first-round pick in 2027 and can get out of Jones' deal next offseason -- should be on the to-do list. Giving Leonard the chance to start down the stretch would allow the Colts to see if he could be an option.
When it comes to going with Leonard over Richardson in this instance, Solak believes it's simply best to move on from Richardson in the offseason.
"I'd lean Leonard because a good Richardson season creates a weird contract decision this offseason," he wrote.
Regardless of what direction the Colts go at quarterback during the second half of the season, Solak sees it as only a matter of time before a change is made.
"No matter what, if the Colts start dealing assets in the next couple of weeks, I expect a quarterback change to swiftly follow," Solak wrote.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: ESPN predicts Colts make unexpected QB change in near future
