It’s been less than two months since the Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback battle between Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson ended, but it feels like an eternity.
Jones has taken the franchise by storm, leading the Colts to a surprise 4-1 start and positioning himself to potentially remain the franchise’s starter in 2026 and beyond if the two sides decide to work out a new deal.
The Colts insist Richardson, meanwhile, is still part of their future, but the former first-round pick fell out of the spotlight in 2025 — until a strange injury ahead of Week 6 forced Indianapolis to make him inactive against the Arizona Cardinals.
Here’s what you need to know about Richardson’s eye injury.
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Anthony Richardson eye injury update
Richardson was made inactive ahead of Sunday’s game against the Cardinals, but he wasn’t a healthy scratch.
The 23-year-old suffered an eye injury during pregame warmups, going down during a band exercise. No other details about the incident have been reported, but the injury made Riley Leonard the Colts’ No. 2 quarterback behind Jones for Sunday’s contest.
Anthony Richardson suffered an eye injury doing pregame band work. That’s why he’s the No. 3 today. https://t.co/adVNbKB5dj
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 12, 2025
Colts coach Shane Steichen insisted after Jones won the quarterback job in August that he believed Richardson still had a future in Indianapolis, but Jones’ early success in the starting role has put Richardson’s future under another cloud of uncertainty.
For at least one game, it won’t be Richardson next in line to replace Jones if the former Giants quarterback is forced to leave the game.
In addition to Richardson, Colts cornerback Charvarius Ward was also ruled out after a pregame injury. The veteran reportedly suffered a concussion during warmups.
MORE WEEK 6:
Colts QB depth chart
| QB | Player |
| 1 | Daniel Jones |
| 2 | Anthony Richardson |
| 3 | Riley Leonard |
Jones’ place as the Colts’ starter is undisputed after such an impressive start to the season, but Richardson remains his direct backup when healthy.
Taking Richardson’s place as the backup against Arizona will be Riley Leonard, who was drafted in the sixth round out of Notre Dame this past April. Leonard, who helped take the Fighting Irish to the national championship game last season, started his college career at Duke and flashed impressive athleticism at the college level with a less consistent arm.
Should anything keep Jones off the field at any point in Week 6, Leonard will have to step in.
