Colts' rookie QB Riley Leonard to see more reps with Anthony Richardson out for minicamp

USA Today

06-06-2025

Colts' rookie QB Riley Leonard to see more reps with Anthony Richardson out for minicamp With Anthony Richardson missing Colts' minicamp, rookie Riley Leonard will see more reps.
With Anthony Richardson not participating in Indianapolis Colts' minicamp due to a shoulder injury, that not only means more reps for Daniel Jones but for rookie quarterback Riley Leonard as well.
Prior to Richardson's shoulder aggravation, he and Jones had been splitting the first-team reps, and when one quarterback was with the starters, the other was with the second-team offense for that series. But now, with Richardson out for the next three practices at least, Leonard will presumably get a lot more of those backup quarterback reps.
"With Richardson being out and the Colts not adding another player at the position, Leonard will get a lot more reps as the QB2, and Jason Bean as the QB3," wrote Jake Arthur of Horseshoe Huddle. "Leonard led the second-team offense to points during their two-minute drill, as rookie kicker Maddux Trujillo converted a 40-yard field goal to punctuate the drive."
Leonard was a sixth-round pick in this past April's draft by the Colts after he helped lead Notre Dame to the National Championship Game in 2024.
In his first season with Notre Dame, Leonard had his most efficient season, completing 66.4% of his passes while taking care of the football with the 12th-lowest turnover-worthy play rate among quarterbacks, per PFF. Along with throwing for 2,851 yards at 7.0 yards per attempt, Leonard rushed for nearly 1,000 yards as well.
The Colts had shown interest in Leonard throughout the pre-draft process, and one aspect of his game that stood out to them, as area scout Mike Lacy recalled after the draft, was that he had some of his best games during Notre Dame's run through the College Football Playoffs.
'He played his best ball down the stretch as well, but I think seeing him one last time, at his Pro Day, watching him in-person, kind of polished-up mechanically, seeing him live, seeing his arm strength, what he has to offer physically, I think that definitely kind of put the stamp on him as a player," area scout Mike Lacy said via the Indy Star.
Like any Day 3 pick, especially at quarterback, Leonard still needs time to develop his game, but during next week's practices, he'll get to apply everything he's learned and repped so far with the second team offense, providing perhaps a more true litmus test of where he's at in his learning curve.