Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard made his stance on quarterback Daniel Jones perfectly clear when the team made a move for cornerback Sauce Gardner at the trade deadline. To get the former All-Pro corner, Indy had to give up its next two first-round draft picks. That means no highly-appreciated quarterback.
Could Indy find a gem in the second round at QB? Sure, but that would be partly luck and unlikely to be the plan. Jones is the guy. This year, and into the future. The only current problem is that the team has to come up with the money to re-sign him this coming offseason.
But as part of the transaction, the quarterback has to do his part and be productive. He wasn't overly good for most of six seasons with the New York Giants, and the Giants eventually gave up on him. (To be fair to Jones, getting away from a terrible organization was good for him.)
Daniel Jones has to be good for the Indianapolis Colts well into the future
In the first eight games of this season, Jones, who was given the QB1 spot in the preseason, was fantastic. He avoided turnovers for the most part, understood head coach Shane Steichen's system and made it work extremely well, and was an excellent fit in the locker room and on the field for the Colts.
But the last few games haven't been the same. Even Indy's Week 10 overtime victory against the Atlanta Falcons was far from pretty. Running back Jonathan Taylor had nearly 300 total yards and saved the team. Jones missed throws and appeared to be a shadow of his early-season self.
Ahead of facing the Houston Texans and their terrific defense in Week 13, Daniel Jones had seven total turnovers in Weeks 19 and 10, and while the team relied on him too much in the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12, he couldn't deliver points. The team scored zero in the fourth quarter and overtime after leading 20-9.
The narrative that Danny Dimes isn't a big winner won't be changed by what happens (or happened, depending on when you are reading this) in Week 13 against the Houston Texans. Jones is dealing with a fractured fibula and isn't 100 percent.
But should he continue not to play as well in the final nine games of the season as he did in the first eight, the Indianapolis Colts should rightly ask themselves if they gave up too much for Sauce Gardner. Daniel Jones being good in the future can't be an if, but a must.