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INDIANAPOLIS – Colts head coach Shane Steichen told reporters Friday the team will have Seth Henigen as the No. 2 quarterback behind rookie Riley Leonard against the Houston Texans' No. 1 defense.
After workouts with eight teams – including a few weeks ago in Indianapolis and Las Vegas days before Christmas – following the four weeks he spent on the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad, Henigan will be the Colts’ backup quarterback seven days after being signed to the team’s practice squad.
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“I thought I threw the ball well, and we’d had a lot of talks previously in the draft process and around the Senior Bowl with some of the guys who make decisions here, so I’m just fortunate the cards rolled the way they did to give me this opportunity,” Henigan told IndyStar on Wednesday about his connections with the Colts. “Obviously, I know it came with some injuries and stuff at quarterback, which was unfortunate, but I’m just blessed to be here and have this opportunity.
“I’m just grinding super hard to just try and make a good impression and hopefully have a potential signing for next year.”
Philip Rivers, the Colts’ 44-year-old veteran who the team brought in less than four weeks ago following Daniel Jones’ torn right Achilles tendon and who started the last three games, will be the No. 3 quarterback Sunday, though his exact roster status wasn't revealed.
“I really wanted the organization to do whatever they felt they needed to do, but I wanted to finish out (the year) the right way with these guys and be here to support Riley,” Rivers said Wednesday. “I have no regrets, other than us not getting it done and finding a way to get it done in the postseason."
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In the portion of practice open to media Thursday and Friday, Rivers stood to the side during several quarterback-receiver throwing drills, giving Leonard, Henigan and third-year quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. – who will end the year on IR after fracturing his orbital bone in a freak pre-game accident in Week 6 – additional reps.
Steichen told reporters Wednesday that Rivers would run the scout team this week, and if Henigan, the undrafted free agent rookie out of Memphis, felt comfortable with the playbook by the end of the week, would be named QB2.
It wasn’t immediately clear after speaking with Steichen on Friday the Colts’ precise roster plans for Rivers for Sunday’s game, with the options being keeping him on the active roster, taking up a spot on the gameday list, and being there if necessary due to injuries to both Leonard and Henigan, or if the Colts will make Rivers inactive and formally make him their “emergency quarterback” under the league’s new rule that allows teams to use a third quarterback if necessary due to injuries.
For Henigan, Sunday marks his first opportunity to dress for an NFL game after four years as the starter at Memphis where he appeared in 50 games, threw for more than 14,000 yards and 100 touchdowns. His workout with the Colts came less than a month ago, a day after Indianapolis worked out Rivers to make certain he was ready for the playoff push to replace the injured Jones.
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Rivers’ streak of consecutive starts will come to an end at 243 games, placing him second all-time among NFL quarterbacks, behind only Brett Favre (297). Only two other active players have more than 100, with Buffalo’s Josh Allen leading among quarterbacks with 126.
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 name Philip Rivers QB3 vs. Texans; rookie Seth Henigan backup
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