In a somewhat surprising turn of events, Daniel Jones looked just like the quarterback the Indianapolis Colts had needed for years in his first season with the organization. That was, of course, until injuries caught up to him.
Jones immediately had a full grasp of Shane Steichen's offense. His efficient passing, along with Jonathan Taylor's dominance, helped the Colts' offense stay on the field and keep the chains moving early in the season.
The Colts made a huge financial investment to keep Jones in town, even after suffering a season-ending injury. He seems to be on track to start in Week 1, but he may not be particularly mobile at first.
Indianapolis Colts fans need to cut Daniel Jones some slack in 2026
Jones can extend plays with his legs and is a sneaky athlete, and that might take a toll on his game. Also, the Colts need a possession receiver after losing Michael Pittman Jr. this offseason. Given all of this, how should the fans objectively measure his play in 2026? And what would a good season actually look like for him? Let's break it down.
Jones finished his first season in Indianapolis by completing 68.0 percent of his passes (261 of 384) for 3,101 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight picks. He also toted the ball 45 times for 164 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games. That's a 17-game pace for 4,044 yards, 32 touchdowns (25 passing) and 10 interceptions.
Of course, progressions aren't linear, and he was starting to regress before the injuries, but still. With those numbers, he would've ranked fifth in passing yards and tied-ninth in passing touchdowns. Not so bad for a quarterback just learning the ropes of a new system.
One would expect him to do better in his second year with the team, but again, he's coming off a major injury and may not have a workhorse wide receiver to lean on. That complicates the equation a bit for Shane Steichen's passing game.
Also, the Colts will continue to lean on Jonathan Taylor as often as possible, with the passing game being a complement and not the other way around. That said, they will face the fifth-easiest schedule in the league, per ESPN, so some of these concerns may cancel each other out.
As such, anything close to 3,800 passing yards and 25 touchdowns should be considered a good season for Jones. He had a 2.51 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his first year with the team, and given his previous history of turnovers, that would also be a decent baseline.
Jones has never reached 4,000 passing yards or 25 touchdowns in his seven years in the league, though he has never played 17 games in a season, either. His 17-game pace sits around 3,600 and 18, so expecting much more than that might be setting oneself up for disappointment.
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