The Colts will primarily play third- and fourth-string players in their preseason finale on Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium, with head coach Shane Steichen hoping to get his roster as healthy as possible for Sept. 7's regular season opener against the Miami Dolphins.
"I want to make sure our starters are healthy heading into Week 1," Steichen said. "So, you'll see a lot of different bodies out there on Saturday."
It's not just starters – plenty of backups won't play, either, including quarterback Anthony Richardson. Cornerback Xavien Howard, who signed on Monday, also will not play. The Bengals, too, are not playing their starters – so you won't see Joe Burrow or Ja'Marr Chase out there Saturday afternoon.
But just because someone is playing on Saturday does not mean they won't make the Colts' 53-man roster, which will be unveiled by 4 p.m. on Tuesday. Saturday's game represents the last chance for down-the-depth-chart players to make a pitch to earn a coveted spot on the Colts' active roster; practice squad spots are up for grabs, too, and those can turn into real opportunities as a season goes on.
More narrowly, for quarterbacks Riley Leonard and Jason Bean, Saturday will be a chance to play two quarters of football. Leonard will start and play the first half, while Bean will take over behind center for the second half.
For two quarterbacks whose path to playing time in the regular season is unclear, it's not just an important showcase of their skills. The chance to just play football means something, too.
"Any opportunity to play is a fun one," Leonard said. "I'm just looking forward to getting out there with the guys that we've been competing with throughout this whole process. I think us younger guys have gotten pretty close, so it'll be fun to kind of feed them and get the opportunity to play for a longer period than we have so far."
Bean echoed that sentiment.
"Getting to play at all is a blessing in itself," Bean said. "Just to get more reps is obviously something that excites me. But you know, like I said, just getting reps at this level means something."
The Colts selected Leonard in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft because they liked his football IQ, toughness and personality, seeing those as potentially being a good fit in a quarterback room with Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson Sr. Bean, a 2024 undrafted free agent, is a dynamic athlete who spent all of last year on the Colts' practice squad.
The 72 or so hours after Saturday's game ends can be an unsettling time for players on the roster bubble, but neither quarterback is thinking much beyond this weekend's trip down I-74 to Cincinnati.
"I'm not really looking too far into the future," Bean said. "I'm worried about this week and this game we have this week. And whatever decisions they make at the end of the week, you know, just the decision that they feel is the best need for this team. Whether I'm here, whether I'm somewhere else or no matter what happens, I'm just going to have to live with that and know that I gave my all, and that's all I can pretty much do."
Leonard, who's completed 19 of 36 passes for 156 yards over two preseason games, said he hasn't put any added pressure on himself this preseason to prove himself.
"Coming from Notre Dame, there's a lot of pressure there," Leonard, who quarterbacked the Irish to the College Football Playoff Championship Game in January, said. "So to come here and just try to be your best every day, it's really not too bad."
Steichen, though, said Saturday will be "big" for Leonard, who – like any third-string quarterback – may not get another opportunity to play for quite some time.
"He's gotten some good reps in training camp, but to get a whole half of action will be good for him and his development," Steichen said.
These games where neither team plays their starters often become extremely competitive, with guys on the field understanding it's their last chance to make a positive impression before 38 players are cut on Tuesday (the Colts have 91 players on their active roster with German tight end Maximilian Mang counting as an international exemption).
And players who stand out in these type of games do, sometimes, wind up being significant contributors in the regular season. Steichen pointed to running back Austin Ekeler, a 2017 undrafted free agent who impressed in his first preseason and has gone on to score 73 touchdowns over an eight-year NFL career.
"When I was at the Chargers with him, we played in San Francisco, and he caught a couple passes and broke away and kind of made a name for himself in that game for us," Steichen said. "We kept him on the roster, and he's become a great player in this league for a long time. So, you never know who it's going to be for us this year. I'm excited to see those guys go and play Saturday."
