Why Riley Leonard feels blessed to be making first NFL start Sunday

1 week ago 2

INDIANAPOLIS — Riley Leonard couldn’t have seen this coming.

Not when the Colts first picked him.

Indianapolis drafted Leonard in the sixth round, a choice that guaranteed the Notre Dame product a chance to compete with Jason Bean for the No. 3 quarterback role, the lowest undercard on a bill headlined by Daniel Jones’ battle with Anthony Richardson for the starting job.

An NFL start in Leonard’s rookie season seemed awfully far away, even after Leonard quickly won the No. 3 job and started the preseason finale against Cincinnati.

“Realistically, right, I was the three,” Leonard said. “I don’t know, I didn’t look into how many threes at the beginning of the season get starts, but the more I realize, the NFL, you look around, there are a lot of rookie quarterbacks starting this late in the season.”

Leonard has a point.

Fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders has been starting in Cleveland for weeks. Seventh-rounder Quinn Ewers started last week for the Dolphins; undrafted free agents Max Brosmer and Brady Cook started last week for the Vikings and Jets, respectively.

Leonard’s chance has come because of season-ending injuries to Jones and Richardson, and the decision to sit veteran Philip Rivers to give Leonard experience. There have been a lot of lessons that have helped Leonard grow.

“The emotional side of it is definitely the biggest one,” Leonard said. “Daniel is about as steady as it gets when it comes to ups and downs. We started off really good, we’re on that win streak, and he’s answering questions and operating like you wouldn’t know if we won every game or lost every game. … Philip gets in here and kind of shows me the beauty of football, not to worry about a lot of the little things. Emotionally, I’ve grown a lot.”

Leonard has already put those lessons into practice.

While he was better than expected in taking over for an injured Jones in Jacksonville, Leonard indicated he took some lumps in completing 18 of 29 passes for 145 yards and a hard-luck interception against the Jaguars.

The next day, he was dealing with pain in his knee, leading to the team’s decision to sign Rivers for a three-game stretch.

“It’s good to get your feet wet,” Leonard said. “Some good, some bad there, but one thing I can do is learn from the bad and fix those things up a little bit.”

The Colts have taken note of Leonard’s approach.

“He’s been working his tail off, he’s done it the right way ever since we got here, ever since we drafted him,” Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen said. “Grinding away. I’m excited for his opportunity.”

Leonard already had a relationship with Rivers, who has trained the rookie in their shared city of Fairhope, Ala., the last two offseasons, but he’s built a close relationship with Jones, picking up a lot by watching how the Colts starter handled himself in all areas of the building.

Jones surprised everybody in the NFL with the best season of his career this year, and Leonard has been by Jones’ side for a lot of the preparation that went into that season, even the preparation Jones does away from the team facility.

The Colts coaching staff noticed the effects as the season progressed.

“With learning the offense, seeing different things, and even in the meeting rooms, talking protection, coverage looks, I think it’s been really beneficial being around a guy like Daniel,” Steichen said. “Those guys get together all the time.”

Leonard is now preparing for his first NFL start with Rivers and Jones in the room next to him, picking up tells and tendencies on Houston’s incredible defense in the film room together.

“You can almost get too much coaching, but hopefully, I can be there for him to lean on as needed,” Rivers said. “Excited to see him out there.”

For the Colts, Sunday’s game is difficult, a game without playoff implications that didn’t seem like a possibility when Indianapolis got off to an 8-2 start.

For Leonard, it is a milestone moment in his career.

“How blessed am I?” Leonard said. “There’s only 32 guys that are going to start in the NFL this week. I’m one of them. I don’t even think the mind can comprehend the statistics of that happening, but super grateful to be one of those guys, be able to showcase what I’ve been working for my whole life.”

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: Why Riley Leonard feels blessed to be making first NFL start Sunday

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