March 23, 2026
NFL

Colts Lose Daniel Jones to Achilles Tear as Anthony Richardson Also Sidelined: What’s Next at QB?

Colts QB injury update 2025 underscores just how dramatically Indianapolis’ season has unraveled. With Daniel Jones lost to a torn Achilles and Anthony Richardson still sidelined by an orbital fracture, the Colts are suddenly without both of their top quarterbacks. What once looked like a promising playoff push has turned into an emergency search for stability, leadership, and a quarterback capable of keeping the season alive.

The team has confirmed the worst on Jones, who had been playing through a broken fibula in his other leg, showcasing incredible toughness before the Achilles injury sidelined him. This latest Colts QB injury update 2025 is particularly brutal given Jones’s stellar play, where he had accounted for 24 total touchdowns and posted a career-best passer rating, proving his value as a starting-caliber QB.


🤕 Double Trouble: Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson Sidelined

Daniel Jones’s season-ending injury is made exponentially worse by the fact that the Colts’ other top quarterback, Anthony Richardson, remains on Injured Reserve. Richardson, the team’s former first-round draft pick, suffered a fractured orbital bone in a freak pre-game accident involving resistance bands earlier in the 2025 season. Head Coach Shane Steichen confirmed this week that Richardson has not yet been cleared by doctors and will not be activated from Injured Reserve, meaning he cannot step in to immediately stabilize the position. This tandem of serious injuries makes the Colts QB injury update 2025 a historical low point for the franchise’s quarterback depth.

The unfortunate timing of the Colts QB injury update 2025 effectively nullifies any relief a healthy Richardson might have provided. His orbital bone fracture requires careful healing and rest, and the team is prioritizing his long-term health, understandably declining to rush him back into action. With both established QBs unavailable, the Colts are now forced to navigate the crucial final stretch of the season, which will determine their playoff fate, with emergency options.


🏈 Who’s Left? Riley Leonard and the Search for a Veteran

With Jones on IR and Richardson unavailable, the team’s only healthy quarterback on the 53-man roster is rookie Riley Leonard. The sixth-round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft was thrust into action against the Jaguars and performed admirably under pressure, though the team still lost the game. However, compounding the chaos of the Colts QB injury update 2025, Leonard is also dealing with a new injury, a right knee issue sustained during the game, though the team remains “hopeful” he can play.

Should Leonard be unable to go, the Colts would turn to Brett Rypien, a veteran on their practice squad who has limited regular-season experience. To address this shocking lack of depth—which may force Leonard, a rookie, to start while injured—the Colts have acted swiftly. In a stunning turn of events, the team is bringing 44-year-old veteran Philip Rivers out of retirement for a tryout. This desperate, but intriguing, move highlights the severity of the Colts QB injury update 2025 and the team’s commitment to finding a leader with NFL experience to salvage their playoff hopes.


🔮 Playoff Hopes and the Immediate Outlook

The immediate future for the Indianapolis Colts is clouded by this devastating series of quarterback injuries. Before this latest Colts QB injury update 2025, the Colts were 8-5 and firmly in the AFC playoff hunt, albeit slipping with four losses in their last five games. The remaining schedule is brutal, featuring matchups against the Seahawks, 49ers, Jaguars, and Texans. Without an established quarterback, winning any of these games will be an immense challenge.

The long-term questions posed by the Colts QB injury update 2025 are equally significant. Daniel Jones is not under contract for the 2026 season and now faces a nine-to-twelve-month recovery from a torn Achilles, an injury that is notoriously difficult to fully recover from. The Colts will have difficult decisions to make about his future and how to proceed with Anthony Richardson, whose development has been stalled by multiple injuries. For now, all eyes are on the health of Riley Leonard and the outcome of the Philip Rivers tryout as the team fights to keep their season alive.

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