The Indianapolis Colts have their fingers crossed that quarterback Daniel Jones can return to the team quite quickly. In fact, the QB is aiming for a Week 1 return after tearing his Achilles tendon in Week 14 last season. That would be an extremely fast return, but at least the quarterback is practicing.
His teammates believe he has a real chance due to Jones' work ethic. Left guard Quenton Nelson, who might be the closest player the team has to being a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer (not disrespect to Jonathan Taylor, of course), said as much recently.
According to the Indy Star's Joel A. Erickson, Nelson said, "He's the hardest worker on the team... He works endlessly to reach his whole potential."
Indianapolis Colts superstar Quenton Nelson is a true believer in quarterback Daniel Jones
Nelson might have been meaning how diligently Jones practices and prepares for games in hopes of playing well, but the implication is that the quarterback might return sooner than most would from an Achilles tear (normally, a 9-12 month process) because while he is taking all the steps needed to return, he's also putting in hours of rehab to do so.
No question exists about Daniel Jones' pain tolerance. Last season, he played on a broken fibula for a few weeks before tearing his Achilles tendon. Clearly, the universe was just against him and did not want him to keep playing good football. There has been no proven medical connection that the broken fibula on one leg led to the torn tendon on the other.
Once he returns, though, Jones needs to revert to his play of the first half of the season. It's easy to forget that in his final five games of the season, he began turning the ball over too much. He had eight turnovers total in those contests, and opposing defenses appeared to figure out that under pressure, the quarterback doesn't have the best ball control.
What is also clear in a positive way is that for the first time in his three-year stint as the Indianapolis Colts head coach, Shane Steichen finally had a quarterback capable of running his offensive scheme. Anthony Richardson failed at that, and Joe Flacco wasn't a long-term option.
The hope is that in his second season with Indy, his performance will be even better. He understands how to distribute the ball well, and even without Michael Pittman Jr. (who was traded this past offseason to the Pittsburgh Steelers), Jones will spread the ball around to wide receivers Alec Pierce and Josh Downs, as well as tight end Tyler Warren.
What Colts fans know, and what has been told to them by key players such as Quenton Nelson, is that no one is going to outwork Daniel Jones to prepare for success. The team absolutely needs him to be good this coming season.
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