Overview
- On Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, head coach Shane Steichen announced that the Week 1 depth chart lists Daniel Jones as the starter, Anthony Richardson as QB2 and Riley Leonard as QB3.
- Coaches said Richardson earned the job mostly on preseason play and camp tape after completing 21 of 33 passes for 249 yards across three exhibition games.
- Richardson had requested a trade in February but no deal materialized, and general manager Chris Ballard had already signaled that Richardson would remain a Colt this year.
- The backup role matters because Jones is returning from a torn Achilles, so Richardson becomes the immediate option if Jones has a setback or needs time to regain form.
- Richardson enters the final year of his rookie contract with 15 career starts and mixed production, making this season a critical chance to rebuild his value as either a starter or reliable backup.