Anthony Richardson was the main storyline heading into the Indianapolis Colts’ preseason opener against the New England Patriots, and for good reason. The trade talk surrounding the former first-round quarterback has been swirling for weeks now. And honestly? I thought he played pretty well.

Now, the stat line might look a little misleading with an interception and a fumble on the ledger. But let’s break those down before anyone jumps to conclusions.

The interception and fumble need context

The interception came on a short out route to wide receiver Coleman Owen. Was the ball a little behind? Maybe. But Owen dropped it. The pass went through his hands and got picked off. Stuff like that happens, but it’s going to show up in the box score as a Richardson interception when you really can’t blame him for it. He needs to show consistency in making those throws with solid accuracy, but at the same time an NFL receiver needs to haul in that pass. 

The fumble, on the other hand, was Richardson’s fault. He was trying to get extra yardage, and got the ball punched out. That one falls on him. But those things happen in football, and one fumble on a competitive carry shouldn’t define the night.

On the whole, Richardson was a pretty efficient 11-of-14 through the air for 145 yards. He had a screen pass to running back Ulysses Bentley that would have been a passing touchdown, but it got reversed and called down at the 1-yard line. Richardson then ran it in himself for a rushing touchdown, which was nice to see him earn since it was very much deserved. He led the Colts in rushing with 6 carries for 55 yards. That’s a solid night by any measure, and it shows the potential that while it may remain unlocked to some degree, is still there for the 24 year old.

Riley Leonard did not look the part

On the other hand, Quarterback Riley Leonard did not look great. He finished 10-of-21 for 89 yards and an interception. He really just looked off all night and the arm didn’t look too sharp. That was a fairly disappointing thing to see given how solid he looked at the end of the 2025 season when he suited up against the Texans in Week 18. I know it’s the first game back for all these guys, so I don’t want to read too much into it, but the contrast between the two was noticeable.

And that brings me to a point I want to put out there.

Could Richardson stick around as the QB2?

We all know Daniel Jones is good to go as the Colts’ starter. Indianapolis is keeping him out of their preseason games due to him coming off a torn Achilles, but there is still an injury risk with him. That is something I would monitor, because there is a chance Jones could get hurt again this year, and if so what is the plan? Stuff like this can happen to any starting quarterback in the league, and that’s the reason the backup position is so important.

Here is what I want to propose: Maybe, just maybe, there is a world where Anthony Richardson stays on this team as the No. 2 quarterback and the backup to Daniel Jones (I know you don’t want to hear it).

Look, if Richardson keeps playing well, that’s a good thing regardless of the plan. Even if the Colts intend to move him, they’re more likely to find a trade partner when he’s performing at a higher level and showing off some of that great potential. But if he continues to outperform Leonard in the preseason, he might go into the regular season as Indianapolis’ QB2, because you need a solid backup piece behind your starter, and he has more NFL experience than Leonard, regardless of how good or bad it has gone.

I honestly wouldn’t mind that outcome either. I know Colts fans are out on the Anthony Richardson experiment, and look, maybe he’ll never be a starting quarterback in the NFL. But there’s no problem with someone being a serviceable backup. The problem does come with his draft position and wrapping your mind around him being a career backup. At the end of the day though, if things get tough during the season and Jones goes down, you need a guy back there who can keep the team competitive to a certain degree and through one preseason game, that looks like it could be Anthony Richardson.

There’s still preseason ball left, and we’ll have to see how it plays out over the next two weeks. Maybe the Colts backup QB for 2026 is either Leonard or Richardson, or maybe it’s someone who isn’t on their roster currently. Either way, Richardson playing well means good things for Indy at this stage of the preseason, and it could provide them with some tough (but positive) decisions down the line.