Indianapolis Colts quarterback, Anthony Richardson finds himself on the sidelines once again as the team heads into its preseason finale on Friday. Despite Daniel Jones already locked in as the Week 1 starter, Richardson will not play against the Cincinnati Bengals to close out the preseason.
For a third-year QB once seen as the franchise’s future, the move looks more and more like there is no clear path ahead for Richardson in Indy.
Shane Steichen on why no Anthony Richardson playing Saturday: pic.twitter.com/X8mqTKqssV
— Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) August 21, 2025
“Well, I think he’s one play away from going in in an actual game,” Head coach Shane Steichen said. “We don’t want to take the risk there. In that situation, we’ve got a lot of the threes and fours playing in this game. It’s the last opportunity to prove it, to make the 53-man roster. And that’s where it’s at.”
Why Anthony Richardson is sitting the preseason finale
Steichen pointed to injury risk as the main reason for keeping Richardson out. He feels that as the primary backup, Richardson is "one play away" from going in during the regular season, so it makes sense to not tempt fate by risking injury. But with Jones already penciled in as QB1, you’d expect every chance for Richardson to sharpen his skills with live reps.
Instead, the Colts will roll with sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard and Jason Bean in the final preseason game. The desire to protect Richardson sounds logical in theory but shows about as much urgency as teas who’s all but announced publicly that they’ve given up on a young QB who needs all the reps he can come across.
Richardson’s physical gifts, college highlights and upside fueled hope in Indy, but his NFL journey has been rough thus far. His first two seasons were plagued by injury, sporadic starts and one of the worst completion percentages in the league last season. None of that seems to have gotten better this preseason. For a QB with so little pro experience, missing out on valuable snaps will only hinders Richardson’s development. More reps against real defenses should sharpen his timing, help read the field and allow him to make mistakes that can be fixed before the regular season.
Skipping this preseason finale feels like a signal the Colts don’t have a plan for the future that involves Richardson. Jones’ presence may not be the short-term stopgap once thought, but a clear shift in direction. For fans who saw Richardson as the long-term solution, this uncertainty is obviously frustrating especially if you thought he’d be the next great fantasy football find. With such few opportunities on the field, it’s hard to see how Richardson is supposed to grow into the star that was projected when the Colts drafted him fourth overall just a couple of years ago.