Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson Sr. reacted to winning the QB2 competition vs. Riley Leonard (Video via Jake Arthur/ColtsRoundtable)
There may not have been any mystery about who the Indianapolis Colts ' starting quarterback would be this season, but who would back up Daniel Jones has been up in the air since the spring.
On Thursday, head coach Shane Steichen put the speculation to rest, naming Anthony Richardson Sr. as the Colts' QB2 for the 2026 season , with Riley Leonard likely serving as the emergency third quarterback on gamedays.
"I thought Anthony played some better ball in the preseason," Steichen said. "I think both of them had pretty good camps – things they can both improve on. But I thought he did some good things in the games."
Richardson has come a long way in a handful of months, from requesting a trade in February and staying away from the team at the start of the offseason program to now being all in as the team's backup.
"Not much has really changed, honestly," Richardson said. "When I reported back for OTAs, I was here, told myself I was going to be here, and prepare myself like I was going to be here for the start of the season. God made it happen, so I'm still trying to do the same thing: prepare myself and just get ready for Day One."
This time last year, Richardson's season began to spin out of his control.
After being selected as the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2023 and starting for his first two years, Richardson was replaced by Jones in 2025 after a competition during training camp and the preseason.
Richardson was the new backup, seeing action only when the Colts were blowing opponents out, largely due to Jones' success. However, in Week 6, things took a full-blown turn toward the tumultuous.
While warming up in the locker room before the team's game against the Arizona Cardinals , an equipment malfunction led to a serious injury that nearly cost Richardson his eye.
He was placed on Injured Reserve and was unable to return before the end of the season.
Eventually, Jones would suffer his own season-ending Achilles injury in Week 14, but Richardson wasn't available to take over and redeem himself.
While Richardson spent the early portion of this offseason with his sights set on greener pastures, his winning the backup job back not only represents a small dose of redemption, but also moving forward as a Colt.
"I was honored. I'm just blessed," Richardson said of being named the QB2. "I'm just blessed to continue to find a way in this league, continue to find my way on the roster. I'm just thankful that they believe in me enough to promote me (to) QB2, and I'm just ready to work, and I'm just willing to work for this team and just provide my best self for this squad to just help us win."
