How does rookie QB Riley Leonard fit with Indianapolis Colts? ESPN analyst weighs in
"Leonard will be allowed to develop," wrote Reid. "He is a dual-threat quarterback who can take advantage of quick throws and use his mobility to create off schedule. He still needs to trust his initial reads more, but Leonard has long-term backup potential because of his physical traits and leadership."
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After spending three seasons at Duke, Leonard transferred to Notre Dame in 2024 and helped guide the Irish to a National Championship appearance.
On the season, Leonard completed a career-high 66.4% of his passes and threw for 2,851 yards at 7.0 yards per attempt with 21 touchdowns to eight interceptions. Along with being efficient, Leonard was very good at taking care of the ball, ranking 12th in turnover-worthy play rate among all quarterbacks.
In addition to his contributions in the passing game, Leonard rushed for just shy of 1,000 yards as well.
The Colts showed interest in Leonard throughout the pre-draft process, and one of the characteristics about him that caught Indianapolis' attention was how he performed in some of Notre Dame's biggest games.
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Lenoard's 223 passing yards against Penn State in the College Football Playoffs was his third-highest total of the season, and his 9.3 yards per attempt was also his third-best mark.
In the National Championship Game vs. Ohio State, Leonard threw for 255 yards, a season-high, completed 71% of his throws, and averaged 8.2 yards per attempt.
As Reid mentions, with Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones on the roster, Leonard is going to have the opportunity to grow and develop this season. In Shane Steichen's first two seasons as head coach, we've seen the Colts' roster three quarterbacks, and Leonard has an opportunity to fill that role for the team in 2025.
In the long run, as Stephen Holder described in the article with Reid, Leonard has a path to becoming the team's primary backup if he can continue to progress.
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'He's got the physical ability to be much more than a No. 3," area scout Mike Lacy said after the draft. "I think that's kind of what he's going to be coming in as. He's going to find his way. He's going to learn, be a sponge, soak things up and be ready to go. We're excited about what he can be, that's for sure.'
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 2025 NFL draft: How QB Riley Leonard fits with Indianapolis Colts
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Recapping Day 1 of Chicago Bears training camp
The Chicago Bears officially kicked off training camp with their first practice on Wednesday morning. While it was a shorter, lighter workout to open the summer, there were still plenty of notable headlines and standouts. First-year head coach Ben Johnson was the star of the show on Day 1 as he set the tone for what's gearing up to be an intense but productive training camp. While the offense had their share of growing pains, Johnson made it clear that it's going to be an up-and-down summer that won't worry them. Considering this was only the first day, there's no reason to worry. After all, this is what practice is all about. Let's recap Day 1 of Bears training camp: What we learned It was a rough day for the offense on Wednesday, which included head coach Ben Johnson having to step in a couple of times. At one point, Johnson yelled, "You're out!" when quarterback Caleb Williams and the first team offense couldn't line up properly during 7-on-7s for the second time in a row. Williams' practice didn't get off to the best start as his first pass of training camp was intercepted by linebacker Tremaine Edmunds during 11-on-11 drills. The competition for the starting left tackle job is one of the biggest storylines of training camp, and Braxton Jones, rookie Ozzy Trapilo and Kiran Amegadjie were all on the field for the first practice. Trapilo saw the majority of first-team reps -- with Jones getting some with him ramping back up to action -- as Amegadjie worked with the second team. In the battle for the backup quarterback job, it was once again Case Keenum getting the reps with the second-team offense. The Bears have said it's an open competition at QB2, so it should be Tyson Bagent's turn with the second team on Thursday. There were a few standouts from the first day of training camp, including undrafted rookie wide receiver JP Richardson, who made a one-handed reception deep down the sideline with a defensive back draped all over him. Standouts LB Tremaine Edmunds: Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds wasted little time making plays as he picked off quarterback Caleb Williams during the first rep in 11-on-11 drills. According to Bear Report's Zack Pearson, the pass was right over the middle. It's a good start for Edmunds, who needs to improve after a disappointing 2024 campaign. New defensive coordinator Dennis Allen believes in his abilities, however, and has high expectations for Edmunds this year. "I'm anticipating him being an exceptional playmaker for us," Allen said. WR JP Richardson: Every year, a no-name wide receiver balls out and captures the hearts of Bears fans everywhere. That player, for the moment, is JP Richardson. The undrafted receiver out of TCU made the play of the day when he pulled in a ball from quarterback Tyson Bagent with one hand while diving to the ground. Richardson had tight coverage from Jeremiah Walker but made the play anyway. He's a long shot to make the roster, but Richardson could have more big moments during the preseason. RB Roschon Johnson: Speaking of one-handed catches, running back Roschon Johnson stood out for one of his own on Wednesday. Bear Report's Zack Pearson notes that Johnson had one in practice. Johnson is someone who didn't have many opportunities to catch the ball in 2024, as he operated in short-yardage situations. He only had 20 targets, half as many as his rookie year. Seeing him take advantage of those passes in practice is good to see. HC Ben Johnson: Arguably the biggest standout and storyline during Day 1 of training camp was head coach Ben Johnson for his demeanor and high standards for the players. According to media in attendance, Johnson was extremely vocal, yelling multiple times and stopping plays before they could even happen due to sloppy details. The most notable moment was when he pulled Williams and the entire starting offense off the field during 7-on-7s because they couldn't get set up in time. Johnson's intensity isn't going away anytime soon, but hopefully he won't need to intervene as much in the future because plays are happening the way they should. Injury updates The Bears' injury list was short for the first practice, but there was a notable name atop it. Rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III, who missed OTAs and veteran minicamp, remained sidelined as the team started training camp. Burden has been dealing with a hamstring injury suffered during rookie minicamp, and we won't know the timetable of a potential return until Ben Johnson meets with the media Thursday morning. Rookie cornerback Zah Frazier also wasn't spotted on the practice field. The good news is that rookie tight end Colston Loveland and left tackle Braxton Jones did participate during Wednesday's practice as they remain in their ramp up period. Highlights Press conferences What's next The Bears return to the practice field on Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. CT for their second of four consecutive practices to open camp. It's another closed practice before fans arrive on Friday morning. Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Chicago Bears training camp: Recapping Day 1
