We're back with another edition of The Colts Show Mailbag, where I'll answer listener questions both on the podcast and here on Colts.com every Thursday.
You can submit your questions to me a few ways: At Colts.com/Mailbag, on social media (like X and Instagram) and in the YouTube comments for the podcast.
For this week's podcast mailbag question, I answered one from the YouTube comments about coaches on offense, defense and special teams that are making a major impact on the development of players in 2025. For the answer, check out this week's episode of The Colts Show wherever you get your podcasts, including on:
Let's dive into the rest of this week's batch of questions:
Paul Lechner (Port St. Lucie, Fla.): What improvements have you seen from Anthony Richardson? And if you had to give your honest opinion, do you feel he could still be the franchise QB and future of this organization? How has Riley Leonard looked through camp?
JJ Stankevitz: Three-part question here, and I want to spend the most time actually on the last part about Riley Leonard. The short answer on Richardson is he's shown improved efficiency completing short and intermediate passes so far in training camp, and he still certainly could entrench himself as a franchise quarterback – the Colts haven't given up on him, after all.
But let's get into Leonard, since we've spent so much time writing and talking about Richardson and Daniel Jones.
Leonard has started to string some good practices together over the last few days, including over the weekend at Grand Park, where he completed several passes – including a deep shot to wide receiver Tyler Kahmann. Head coach Shane Steichen, after that practice, praised the progress Leonard has made through the first two weeks of training camp.
"I thought he was good, efficient throwing the football," Steichen said. "I think he's doing a good job. I think he's making really good strides. I think coming in as a rookie – any rookie quarterback learning the system, getting the reps, I think he's taken advantage of a lot of it. I mean, still things to grow and learn from, but he's been making great strides."
Leonard is not pushing Jones and Richardson to start, but he is pushing for a spot on the Colts' 53-man roster. The Colts over the last few years opted to keep Sam Ehlinger as their third quarterback; that third QB can be designated as an "emergency quarterback" on gamedays, meaning he doesn't count against the NFL limit for active gameday rosters but can enter the game if the two quarterbacks ahead of him get injured.
Emergency third quarterbacks must be on a team's 53-man roster, though, and cannot be elevated from the practice squad into that role. Not every team in the league carries a third quarterback, and there's no guarantee the Colts will do so in 2025 – Leonard will have to earn his way on to the roster in that role. What he does in preseason games – he'll likely get an extended opportunity in the second half of games against the Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers – will be key in the Colts' evaluation of him.
Ray Queen (Benton, Ark.): Hey JJ! Was wondering how Kenny Moore II is looking in practice? How is he doing health wise?
JJ Stankevitz: I like this one because sometimes we get caught up in head-to-head competitions or chasing storylines with young, ascending players during training camp. It's good, though, to take a step back and consider this: Good, veteran players continuing to be good, veteran players is still notable.
And Kenny Moore II has not just been a good, veteran player in training camp – he's been one of the best players on the field since camp opened.
Moore's sticky coverage has forced a number of incompletions, and he's defended plenty of passes with break-ups and interceptions. When the Colts hired Lou Anarumo as defensive coordinator earlier this year, Moore was a guy that looked to benefit significantly from Anarumo's focus on mixing up coverages and sending funky pressure looks (Mike Hilton, the Cincinnati Bengals' slot cornerback, led all cornerbacks in blitzes the last few years).
As a whole, the Colts' secondary has been fantastic – it's been arguably the team's best unit in training camp – and Moore's coverage and playmaking streak have been a big part of that.
Ronald Vest (Crawfordsville, Ind.): Is this the year where the tight ends maybe have two guys with at least 500 yards with Warren and possibly Ogletree or Mallory? It would really open up the offense.
JJ Stankevitz: The Colts have got some good production from their tight ends in training camp, with Tyler Warren leading that charge – but Will Mallory has had some flashes, and Drew Ogletree has been reliable as well. But a couple things here.
First, there have only been 39 rookie tight ends in NFL history to have 500+ receiving yards. That's not an easy bar to clear. Meanwhile, 95 second-year tight ends have had 500 or more receiving yards. Sometimes it takes time. Warren seemingly has what it takes to get there, but here's the other thing to consider:
The Colts have three established wide receivers in Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs and Alec Pierce. Second-year wideout Adonai Mitchell has exploded over the last few weeks in training camp and could be a significant factor in the Colts' passing offense. And whether it's Jones or Richardson behind center, expect the Colts to lean on Jonathan Taylor and their ground game quite a bit.
That's all to say if the Colts only have one tight end with over 500 receiving yards – or maybe none – it won't necessarily be a sign the offense is struggling. But those tight ends can still impact the game in other ways, like Warren's gravitational effect on a defense (which could soften things up for receivers like Downs or Pittman) and in the run game, with Ogletree and Mo Alie-Cox being strong blockers there.
George Eghator (London, United Kingdom): If you had to take one non-football skill from any current Colts player and apply it to building a winning culture in the locker room and beyond, what would it be and why?
JJ Stankevitz: Great question here. There are a handful of things I thought about, but I settled on everything DeForest Buckner does from Monday through Saturday to get ready for gameday. He's one of the first guys in the building in the morning to get a lift in, he takes meticulous care of his body, he practices hard and is constantly striving to learn. Buckner is one of the most professional players I've ever covered, and the example he sets is one plenty of teammates follow.
Plus, he has several career accomplishments that resonate: He's been an All-Pro, he's been a Pro Bowler and most importantly, he's been to a Super Bowl – where he had 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits on Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIV.
