Player
Riley Leonard
QB · Colts
The gap between Leonard's pass and rush efficiency reveals a player whose legs are currently his most reliable weapon — a direct signal for how an OC should script goal-line packages around him in 2026.
Leonard's rushing EPA (+1.05/play) was the widest pass-to-rush EPA gap of any QB in 2025.
AnomalyBiggest QB rush-over-pass EPA gaps, 2025 (min 30 pass plays)
| QB | Avg Pass EPA | Avg Rush EPA | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riley Leonard | -0.217 | +1.052 | +1.269 |
| Jake Browning | -0.395 | +0.848 | +1.243 |
| Baker Mayfield | -0.006 | +0.879 | +0.884 |
| Trey Lance | -0.651 | +0.224 | +0.875 |
| Shedeur Sanders | -0.299 | +0.489 | +0.788 |
Across his 5 rushing plays in 2025, Leonard generated +1.05 EPA per rush — while his 70 passing plays averaged -0.22 EPA each. That +1.27 gap is the widest of any QB in the league with at least 30 passing plays this season.
Both of his rushing TDs came in the red zone (a scramble at the 6-yard line in Wk 14, a goal-line sneak at the 1 in Wk 18). The sample is tiny, but the EPA signal is clear: when Leonard takes off, something good happens.
Why it matters. The gap between Leonard's pass and rush efficiency reveals a player whose legs are currently his most reliable weapon — a direct signal for how an OC should script goal-line packages around him in 2026.
Philip Rivers, retired since 2020, came back at 43 and started 3 games for IND in 2025.
RarePhilip Rivers 2025 game log (age 43)
| Wk | Opp | C/A | Yds | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | SEA | 18/27 | 120 | 1 | 1 |
| 16 | SF | 23/35 | 277 | 2 | 1 |
| 17 | JAX | 17/30 | 147 | 1 | 1 |
The IND QB carousel in 2025 had an unlikely second act: Philip Rivers, who retired after the 2020 season, was activated and started Weeks 15–17 at age 43. His 5-year gap between NFL games is the longest comeback by a starting QB since the merger era.
Leonard was the fresh face on the other side of the ledger: the only true rookie in the four-QB rotation (Jones, Rivers, Leonard, Richardson). Rivers finished with 58/92 (63.0%), 544 yards, 4 TDs, 3 INTs — more attempts than Leonard's entire rookie year.
Why it matters. Rivers outpassed Leonard's entire rookie season output (92 att vs. 67 att) in just 3 games, which contextualizes how deep Leonard sat on the depth chart and why his 2026 starting opportunity is genuinely unresolved.
The only QB in 2025 with 2+ rushing TDs on fewer than 10 carries.
RareQBs with 2+ rushing TDs in 2025 — lowest carry counts
| QB | Rush Carries | Rush TDs | TD Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riley Leonard | 6 | 2 | 33.3% |
| Malik Willis | 22 | 2 | 9.1% |
| Brock Purdy | 33 | 3 | 9.1% |
| J.J. McCarthy | 37 | 4 | 10.8% |
| Cam Ward | 39 | 2 | 5.1% |
Leonard scored 2 rushing TDs on just 6 carries in 2025 — no other QB in the league hit the 2-TD mark with fewer than 10 carries. The next closest was Malik Willis with 22 carries for 2 TDs.
Both of Leonard's scores were situational: a scramble to the end zone at the 6-yard line in Wk 14 vs JAX, and a goal-line push at the 1 in Wk 18 vs HOU. He converts in the moments that matter most.
Why it matters. Leonard's 33% rushing TD rate on a sub-10-carry sample signals a specialized goal-line weapon value that won't show up in standard stat lines — the kind of role that earns early-down snaps even for a backup QB in 2026.
Leonard was QB3 in a 6-passer rotation — behind a full-year starter and a 43-year-old comeback.
TrendIND 2025 passing attempts by player
| QB | Attempts | Weeks | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Jones | 384 | 13 | Starter (Wks 1–14) |
| Philip Rivers | 92 | 3 | Comeback starter (Wks 15–17) |
| Riley Leonard | 67 | 5 | Spot starter / mop-up |
| Anthony Richardson | 2 | 1 | Brief cameo |
| Rigoberto Sanchez | 1 | 1 | Punter trick play |
| Tyler Warren | 1 | 1 | TE trick play |
In a season with six IND passers, Leonard was third in attempts — behind both Daniel Jones (full-year starter) and Philip Rivers, who came out of a 5-year retirement at age 43 to start three weeks. Leonard got two real starts (Wks 14 and 18) and three mop-up appearances.
The strangest depth chart in the NFL: a punter (Rigoberto Sanchez) and a tight end (Tyler Warren) each threw a pass before the season ended.
Why it matters. The six-passer carousel reflects an IND team that never stabilized at QB all season, which is precisely why Leonard enters 2026 as a legitimate starter candidate despite throwing only 67 passes as a rookie.
His 2 rushing TDs came on just 6 career carries — a 33% rushing TD rate vs. 4.8% league average for QBs.
Anomaly2025 QB rushing: Leonard vs. league average
| Riley Leonard | League QB avg | |
|---|---|---|
| Carries | 6 | — |
| Rushing TDs | 2 | — |
| TD rate | 33.3% | 4.8% |
It's a tiny sample, but the dual-threat trait is real on tape: 2 rushing TDs on 6 carries. Both came in his two starts (Wk 14 vs JAX, Wk 18 vs HOU). The league-average QB rushing-TD rate in 2025 was 4.8% (107 TDs on 2,215 carries by all QBs) — Leonard's rate of 33% is nearly 7× that mark.
That's the role he projects to as a backup or QB2 going forward: a short-yardage and red-zone designed-run threat the Colts can deploy regardless of who starts.
Why it matters. A 7× advantage over league-average in rushing TD rate on a goal-line-only sample suggests Leonard's designed-run usage in Wks 14 and 18 wasn't random — coaches targeted him specifically in short-yardage situations, which points to a real role in 2026.
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