Duke guys like to stick together, it seems. Jayson Tatum, an elite player for the Boston Celtics, went there, and so did Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones. The two have something else in common, too: Both suffered a torn Achilles tendon, and Jones is trying to return as quickly as Tatum.
The connection goes even further. Indy head coach Shane Steichen reached out to Celtics president Brad Stevens, former head coach of Butler University, of course, about how Tatum handled his recovery from his Achilles tear in hopes that Jones could replicate the regimen.
The two players also had the same doctor perform their surgery, Martin O'Malley. So many ties could lead a Colts fan into hoping that the similarities don't end there.
Indianapolis Colts are hoping Daniel Jones takes the same path as Jayson Tatum in return from a torn Achilles tendon
Tatum was hurt in May 2025, took nearly 10 months to return, but did so in March and has played quite well for Boston since. If an NBA player can recover relatively quickly from a torn Achilles, surely an NFL player can. A basketball player has to run and jump and put more stress on the tendon than even an NFL player, of course.
If Jones can return in just under 10 months as Tatum did, that would put him on pace to return at the beginning of October, meaning he would only miss three games. Of course, the team is hoping the quarterback can come back even faster and play in Week 1. We aren't there yet, though.
Speaking with the media ahead of the 2026 NFL draft, Shane Steichen said, "I think it's four and a half months post-op (for Daniel Jones), like I said, his rehab process has been phenomenal. He went to the same doctor that Tatum went to. Tatum's rolling right now for the Celtics. Nine months (after his surgery, though his return was closer to 10). I had a chance to talk with Brad Stevens, and his rehab process that Tatum went through. He was in that building all day, every day, and Daniel's the same way."
The head coach also pointed out that Jones was already throwing the ball and able to push off his leg, but that is a far cry from having to move quickly to avoid an oncoming NFL defender and then throwing on the run. Also, while working diligently during a recovery, rehab is great, but each person heals on their own time.
What the Colts don't want to do is rush Jones back. The team already made a couple of questionable moves last season, including allowing the quarterback to play with a broken fibula for a few weeks before he tore his Achilles. Did one lead to the other? The team says no.
The quarterback also has a much more serious injury history than Tatum, including a torn ACL in 2023and two pinched nerves in his neck. One might assume that Daniel Jones is simply prone to getting hurt more than his fellow Duke Blue Devil, Jayson Tatum.
Maybe the Indianapolis Colts quarterback is simply due for some long-term good luck, however. Maybe he returns early in the 2026 season, stays healthy and productive, and the team makes the playoffs for the first time since 2020. That is how fans want the story to end, at least.
Add us as a preferred source on Google