Head coach Shane Steichen confirmed on Friday that rookie quarterback Riley Leonard will once again be the backup quarterback behind Daniel Jones for the Colts' Week 8 game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium.
"He's been preparing, like I've said, since he got here," Steichen said. "I like the way he works, the way he goes about his business. Last week he had a great week of preparation and did it again this week. So he'll be our backup this week."
When asked if Leonard would be the Colts' backup going forward, Steichen said this: "For right now, it is. For right now, he's our backup."
Leonard has been the Colts' QB2 behind Jones since Anthony Richardson Sr. sustained an injury during pregame warmups in Week 6; Richardson was placed on injured reserve and will be out a minimum of four weeks. Technically, this weekend will be Leonard's third game as Jones' backup.
But like Steichen said, nothing has really changed for Leonard these last few weeks. He still prepares the same way and he still practices with the same intensity, leaning on both Jones and Richardson for support and advice. Now, he's just one play away from going into the game instead of two.
The Colts did sign veteran quarterback Brett Rypien to the practice squad after placing Richardson on injured reserve; as a member of the practice squad, Rypien must be elevated to the Colts' gameday roster in order to be active. Per NFL rules, an emergency third quarterback must be on a team's 53-man roster and cannot be elevated from the practice squad to active roster.
Leonard has yet to appear in a regular season game this season; he started the Colts' third preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals and completed 15 of 20 passes for 189 yards with a 59-yard touchdown, finishing with a passer rating of 102.9. When the Colts played the Titans in Week 3, Richardson took over for Jones in the final few minutes of the 41-20 win.
