INDIANAPOLIS – Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said it’s “too soon” for the franchise to have determined whether former fourth-overall pick Anthony Richardson Sr. or sixth-rounder Riley Leonard is its No. 2 quarterback at the moment, as Indianapolis moves to on-field drills this week in Phase Two of the team’s voluntary offseason program.
“We’re going about our business the way that we do, going through drills and routes on air, working through some walkthrough tempo things,” Cooter told reporters Wednesday when asked how Richardson’s return to the building had affected the the Colts’ offseason program. The 23-year-old spent the first two weeks of the Colts’ offseason program away from the team working with his own trainer in Jacksonville as players in Indianapolis cycled through meetings, conditioning and strength training work and physical rehab.
But despite Richardson’s request to pursue a trade in February at the NFL Combine – a request the Colts were willing to grant, but have since been unable to find a trade partner for – the young quarterback returned to the team facility on Monday. His arrival ignited an internal battle for QB2 with Leonard, the 2025 rookie who made his first career start in the finale in January at Houston and who entered this offseason prepared to handle an increased load of snaps and responsibilities as Jones continues to rehab his torn Achilles tendon.
With Richardson still seemingly dealing with some level of vision restrictions related to his fractured orbital bone he suffered in a freak pregame accident in October, and then him requesting the chance to seek a trade, Leonard’s temporary spot atop the quarterback depth chart – albeit temporarily until Jones heals – seemed all the more certain.
Richardson’s return has muddied that picture, at least publicly.
“I think it’s still early. I think it’s still too soon to stamp anybody anywhere at a lot of those backup positions,” Cooter said when asked directly on Wednesday who was currently operating in the backup quarterback role, and therefore taking starter snaps with Jones out. “We work through how we want to do that thing.
“Who’s with what group isn’t any sort of news I’m trying to break here today, but the guys are out there getting work. There’s reps to go all around – throws to make, reps to get in, drills. Those guys are all part of the thing in getting those reps, and that’s where I’m at on that.”
When it comes time to determine a backup quarterback behind Jones – if Richardson remains on the roster throughout the summer and into training camp and even the season – Cooter answered plainly as to how that decision will be made.
“I think with every position, may the best man win, so whether you’re a starter or a primary backup or carving out a role for a certain spot or position that could help us on Sundays, we love competition. We preach competition,” he said. “If you earn something around here, you should take advantage of that with that role.
“We’ll have a lot of reps as we go, and in the offseason and training camp, I’ll be saying a lot of these same phrases to you, but these guys will be competing, and shoot, we want the guy who will best help the Colts in whatever competition he’s in to win that thing, and we’ll give them ample opportunity, as far as we go with reps and all that stuff.”
When asked to characterize Richardson’s progress – the quarterback returned to the practice field for the final three weeks of last season but was not activated off IR as the Colts still held concerns over his vision – Cooter declined to characterize Richardson’s vision capabilities but did say it was clear “he’s been spending time on his game.”
“You can tell he’s been out there working through different things that he either needs to get better at or just sort of keeping striving to improve incrementally as we go,” Cooter said of Richardson. “Anthony showed up here ready to work this week, and we’re gonna get some good work out of him and try to get him better and get him opportunities to go work on drills, get some throws and all that good stuff.”
Through the entirety of Richardson’s rollercoaster of a last 12 months that included the team bringing Jones in to create competition for the starting quarterback role, losing that battle and then wondering if he’d ever play again in the wake of his injury, Colts general manager Chris Ballard has been steadfast in his praise of his young quarterback’s demeanor and selflessness as a teammate.
Fourth-year wide receiver Josh Downs echoed that sentiment Wednesday.
“It’s good to have (Anthony) back in here. He’s a good player. He’s got a really good attitude as well. He’s in here joking around, but he’s also working,” said Downs, who was drafted in the third round by the Colts in the same draft class as Richardson. “I’m excited to see him back in here with a smile on his face and just going to work.
“AR is needed, and we appreciate him.”
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts OC Jim Bob Cooter on backup QB battle: ‘May the best man win’
Reporting by Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
