Shane Steichen said Sunday that Daniel Jones will not play in the Colts' preseason opener Thursday night against the New England Patriots, and Riley Leonard will split quarterback reps with Anthony Richardson Sr. at Gillette Stadium.
The move gives Leonard a direct role in the first live evaluation of the preseason. He and Richardson are both listed No. 2 on the unofficial depth chart, a small but telling sign that the Colts still have not separated them as they compete to be Jones' backup to begin the 2026 season.
That is why Leonard is getting searched now. The Colts released their unofficial depth chart before the preseason opener, and it did not settle the quarterback order behind Jones. Instead, it left Leonard and Richardson on the same line, with Thursday night now set up as the first chance to see how Steichen divides the work.
Steichen said he will finalize the plan for whether starters will play and how many snaps they will get after Tuesday's joint practice with the Patriots. That leaves the only hard answer for now: Jones is out, and Leonard is one of two quarterbacks expected to take snaps against New England.
The uncertainty is the point. Leonard is not just waiting for a preseason cameo. He is fighting for position in a quarterback room where the depth chart still refuses to separate him from Richardson, and Thursday night will be the first clue about whether he gets an even share, a brief window, or the heavier workload that could change the shape of that backup race.
