Shane Steichen worked with two of the NFL's premier quarterbacks before becoming the Indianapolis Colts' head coach: Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert. But make no mistake, he didn't just ride their coattails and stumble into his current job; they blossomed because of him to some capacity.
Look no further than Daniel Jones. He's living proof of Steichen's underrated profile as a whisperer of the most important position in football. The 2-0 Colts' offense is humming early in the 2025 campaign, with their retread veteran signal-caller serving as the catalyst, and it hardly feels coincidental.
Herbert recorded the second-most passing yards by a rookie in 2020, when Steichen was the Los Angeles Chargers' quarterbacks coach. Hurts transformed from a mobile, inaccurate thrower to a top-tier dual-threat and MVP runner-up in the Colts' frontman's two years as Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator. With that in mind, what Jones is doing in Indy shouldn't be all that surprising.
Colts' Daniel Jones is proving that the Shane Steichen effect is alive and well
First and foremost, Jones has been remarkable through two contests with Indianapolis. However, he's thriving with a different style of play from what we've typically seen, which is a testament to Steichen's impact. The Colts are letting the seventh-year pro air it out, which has unlocked an often overlooked element of his game.
Jones has always had a good deep ball in his repertoire. It was among the notable traits that made him the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft. "Danny Dimes" hasn't maximized the skill set for whatever reason(s), nor has he been trusted to do so by previous coaches.
No signal-caller is averaging more yards per attempt than Jones' 9.3, which is strikingly higher than the mark through his first six seasons (6.5). He's fourth in air yards per attempt, excluding Buffalo Bills backup Mitchell Trubisky, who's only made two passes. Moreover, the ex-New York Giants franchise centerpiece ranks at or among the top of the league in the following metrics (h/t FantasyPros):
- Second in passing attempts that travel 10-plus yards (23)
- Tied for fifth in passing attempts that travel 20-plus yards (seven)
- Tied for second in passing attempts that travel 30-plus yards (four)
- Tied for first in passing attempts that travel 40-plus yards (three)
Ironically, Jones and Giants gunslinger Russell Wilson are the only two players with three passes that traveled at least 40 yards. Let's not overlook that the former is doing this under Steichen's tutelage. The Indy sideline general is reinventing a castaway after helping jump-start Herbert and Hurts' careers, and the early results are paying dividends.