Daniel Jones is entering his second season with the Indianapolis Colts, and unlike last season, there was no drama leading up to Week 1 in terms of who was going to be QB1. In 2025, Jones was battling with Anthony Richardson for that spot, but in 2026, Jones wasn't going to be chased for the job.
The concern was whether Jones would be physically available to face the Baltimore Ravens. That was because he tore his Achilles tendon in Week 14 last year, and those types of injuries can take 9-12 months to recover from. Jones made it in seven.
Of course, that injury wasn't the first time the quarterback had a season ended too soon because of getting hurt. It was the third time that happened. For Jones to be Indianapolis's long-term quarterback moving forward, he needs to stay healthy in 2026.
Daniel Jones takeaway No. 1: The Indianapolis Colts quarterback heals quickly
Despite the fact that Jones gets hurt quite a bit (it is easy to forget that even before he tore his Achilles tendon, he was playing on a broken fibula), he does at least get back to playing fairly quickly. He not only returned to training camp in a limited fashion, but he was a full go at the start.
The quarterback is probably helped by having a high pain threshold. Playing on a broken leg in an NFL game when one knows they are going to get hit hard and often is no joke. Jones wasn't perfect in the weeks leading up to his second injury of 2025, but he remained accurate with his passing, even if he couldn't run as well.
Getting back in seven months is astonishing, and he doesn't appear to show any ill effects from the brutal injury last season. Being able to run is a key part of Jones' skill set, and he is likely to be able to do that just fine against the Ravens.
Daniel Jones takeaway No. 2: He appears ready to be better in year two with the Colts
First off, let's be clear that Indy cannot afford to miss Jones at any point in the coming season. Anthony Richardson might have had his best training camp and preseason entering his fourth season with Indianapolis, but neither he nor Riley Leonard is capable of the level that Jones reached early last season.
What helped Daniel Jones in 2025 was that he learned the playbook quickly, and head coach Shane Steichen finally had a quarterback worthy of running his system. In training camp this year, the offense was already humming with Jones behind center, especially in the multiple joint practices the team had.
Expecting the offense to be as productive and efficient as it was in the first half of last year might be a stretch, simply because the level of competition is much better at the start of 2026, but getting close to that level is realistic. Only with Jones, though, and not Richardson or Leonard.
Daniel Jones takeaway No. 3: QB1 is betting on himself
In 2025, Jones was only signed to a one-year deal for as much as $15 million. He was a free agent again this past offseason, but he only agreed to a two-year deal for as much as $88 million. One might have assumed it was his time to cash in as the true QB1 with the Indianapolis Colts.
Most of his money is in his first year of the deal, and he has to prove he's worth it to get the second year, both in terms of on-field production and staying healthy, or the team could release him and save $38 million. If Jones is good again, though, by 2028, he could see an even bigger increase in how much he is making.
If he leads the team to the playoffs this season, he can basically name his price in the following year as a free agent. That is a smart move for someone who believes in themselves.
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