Anthony Richardson's Depth Chart Standing Revealed by Colts' Shane Steichen After Trade Rumors

Anthony Richardson has beaten out Riley Leonard for the Indianapolis Colts' backup quarterback job despite seeking a trade earlier this offseason.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen told reporters Thursday Richardson will serve as QB2 behind Daniel Jones.

"I thought he did some good things through camp. He's continued to develop and grow and learn and continue to get better, and same thing with Riley," Steichen said Thursday (h/t 107.5 The Fan's Kevin Bowen).

Richardson told reporters he is "extremely grateful" for the opportunity, adding, "I love adversity. I love life."

He also addressed his earlier trade request.

"When I reported back for OTAs, I was here, told myself I was going to be here and prepare myself like I was going to be here for the start of the season," Richardson said.

Jones is set to start Week 1 for the Colts after joining training camp as a full participant following recovery from the ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered last December.

The news comes after Richardson's agent told ESPN's Stephen Holder in February the Colts had given his client permission to seek a trade.

Richardson said in early August he hadn't recently discussed the trade request with either his agent or general manager Chris Ballard.

Asked about what would happen if the Colts didn't trade him, Richardson said last month, "If that's what the team wants, that's what I want. I just want go be able to help a team."

Ballard said Tuesday he was expecting Richardson to still be with the Colts this season.

"We forget how young he is sometimes," Ballard said earlier this week. "I'm really proud of his growth... there was times in camp that I said, 'Okay, he's starting to really show some poise.'"

Jones has gotten the majority of first-team reps throughout camp as Richardson and Leonard split work with the Colts' second and third units.

"Consistency, that's going to be part of their job going through this season," Steichen said Thursday about his backup quarterbacks. "Getting those scout team reps, that's going to be big for them, because you never know when their number could get called."

Richardson started 15 games for the Colts across his first two NFL seasons while missing significant time to injury in both campaigns.

He competed to keep his QB1 role last summer before losing the job to Jones.

The former No. 4 overall pick's first season as Jones' backup was once again impacted by injuries. Richardson suffered an orbital fracture in an October accident involving stretching bands and did not see any playing time from Week 6 onward.

Richardson is heading into the final season of his rookie deal after the Colts declined his 2027 fifth-year option. Whether he sees any playing time will depend in part on Jones' health as the starting quarterback prepares to make his return from injury Sunday, Sept. 13 against the visiting Baltimore Ravens.