When it comes to the Indianapolis Colts, there are two story lines that have really been front-and-center in the last few months. They need to get a tight end (they got one in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft in Penn St.’s Tyler Warren), and they need to figure out the starting quarterback situation.
As of right now, it seems to be an open competition between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones. Richardson was a first-round pick (No. 4 overall) in 2023 and Jones was the No. 6-overall pick by the New York Giants in the 2019 draft. Neither one has set the world on fire in the NFL yet.
So, there might be an opportunity for newcomer Riley Leonard to earn some playing time at some point. The Colts drafted Leonard in the sixth round (No. 189 overall) in this year’s draft. The Notre Dame product is currently expected to battle Jason Bean for the third spot on the depth chart, but considering the team’s quarterback room, anything is possible.
So far, for a sixth-round pick, he seems to have a lot of people in his corner.
Current and former head coach see a lot of upside
Marcus Freeman was Leonard’s head coach at the University of Notre Dame, so he obviously knows Leonard very well. He spoke to ESPN reporter Adam Rittenberg about his trajectory.
“A lot of the talk is, he’s an ascending player,” Freeman said. “He’ll be a guy that isn’t near his ceiling. He can continue to improve, which is intriguing for the NFL.”
Leonard is replacing quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who left the Colts via free agency. His current head coach, Shane Steichen, is also excited about his potential.
“I just think the athletic ability that he has at the quarterback position, what he was able to do at Notre Dame this year, leading them to the National Championship speaks volumes of the player and the competitor that he is,” Steichen said. “Just to add that depth in that room is big.”
Former Colts quarterback sees good things from Leonard
Former NFL star quarterback Philip Rivers is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2026. Whether gets in right away remains to be seen, but he certainly seems like a fit. Rivers topped off his 17-year career with a one-year stint in Indianapolis back in 2020, and his 63,440 career passing yards and 421 touchdowns should get him in.
It’s safe to say he knows the quarterback position pretty well, and he likes what he’s seen from Leonard.
“The thing about Riley, he’s going to do all those things right,” Rivers told Colts.com. “He’s going to be there early. He’s going to end up being an asset to the whole quarterback room in terms of preparing the starter for the season, all while he’s getting himself better. It’ll be a good working environment for Riley and Shane and that offensive staff — I know a handful of those guys as well — they’ll do a heck of a job.”
There are many people in the 317 area code that really want the entire quarterback situation settled. But, there’s a chance that the guy they are looking for isn’t on the current roster.
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