Forget quarterback Daniel Jones possibly returning by Week 1 of the Indianapolis Colts' new season. He could be back even sooner than that.
According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, Jones could return in full by the time training camp begins in late July. The QB participated in 7-on-7 drills in organized team activities, and even that was seemingly faster than expected after Jones tore the Achilles tendon in his right leg in Week 14 last season.
Don't expect Jones to play in preseason games, of course. At least, he shouldn't play. His real preparation for Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens will happen in practice and the team's joint practices against the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons. Those would likely be no-contract situations, whereas he could get hit in the preseason.
NFL insider just gave Indianapolis Colts fans a lot of hope about Daniel Jones
What truly matters is that he is ready to begin the season. That has been his aim all offseason, and he appears, per Breer, to be well on the way to accomplishing that goal. That would be great news for Colts fans and the team, of course, though it might mean different things for Anthony Richardson.
Not necessarily bad news for Richardson, however. The backup quarterback has asked to be traded, but Indy holding onto him until the team got a good offer makes sense. It also makes sense to keep Richardson around in case Jones wasn't returning from injury quickly.
The team might have had to start the season with Richardson and Riley Leonard as QB1 and QB2, or vice versa, while Jones missed a little time. That possibility appears on the verge of being greatly reduced for all the right reasons. The team doesn't really need three quarterbacks on the active roster. Jones and Leonard would be good enough.
Still, assuming that the Indianapolis Colts do keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, none of them give the team nearly as good an opportunity to be successful and make the playoffs for the first time since 2020 as does Daniel Jones. His return not only helps the team's efficiency offensively, but also will boost morale for a potentially highly successful season.
Surely, the team will have better luck with key players not getting injured than it did in the second half of last year. The competition ticked up in the second half, of course, but when the Colts didn't have the services of Jones from early in Week 14 on, and were already missing Charvarius Ward, DeForest Buckner, and, mostly, Sauce Gardner, the team had no chance. Now, all should be ready in Week 1.
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