The Indianapolis Colts were in the middle of a special season last year until quarterback Daniel Jones went down with a devastating injury and tore his Achilles tendon in Week 14. Jones was having a career-best campaign, and the Colts were eying their first playoff appearance since 2020.
After Jones’ season-ending injury, the Colts’ playoff hopes were dashed, leaving GM Chris Ballard with a difficult decision — re-sign Jones to what would likely be a lucrative contract and hope he returns healthy, or move on to another QB who wouldn’t be coming off a major injury.
Despite the injury, past struggles, and a half-season sample size of success, Ballard handed Jones a massive two-year $88 million deal. This was a risky and expensive bet on Jones. But, less than four weeks from the start of the regular season, early indications of Jones’ return have been promising.
Daniel Jones’ miraculous return gives the Indianapolis Colts a huge boost
In July, Jones checked off an important milestone when he was cleared for full team drills in time for the start of training camp, less than eight months after tearing his right Achilles tendon. Since then, the good news continues to stream in. The most recent camp reports suggest that Jones might pick up exactly where he left off last season.
Even after the injury and lengthy recovery process, Jones’ accuracy and mobility have impressed many. Pretty much everyone around the Indianapolis training camp has been singing his praises.
Jones quickly reconnected with his receiving corps, completing a high percentage of attempts and fitting throws into tight windows. According to The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones, “wide receiver Josh Downs said Jones looked so good at the start of camp that he forgot about the injury.” Jones showed no signs of concern with his mechanics, footwork, or pocket presence.
Two other team sources said that Jones “looked like he never suffered an injury, let alone the sort that can be devastating for professional athletes.”
Beyond his arm talent, one of Jones’ biggest strengths is his speed. All eyes were on how Jones would be able to move after the Achilles injury. So far, the tape has been encouraging.
Jones has looked extremely comfortable maneuvering around the backfield and using his legs to make plays. We’ve seen Jones roll out into space, escape the pocket, and even explode into a full-on sprint.
While Jones still has some work to do, he’s already close to breaking the 20 miles-per-hour mark for top speed and is closing in on recovering his pre-injury speed.
Per former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, “It's great to see Daniel Jones moving around like he is... You would never even know that he was injured.”
Most importantly, Jones looks confident on and off the field. Despite suffering a catastrophic injury, he somehow looks surprisingly like his old self faster than anyone expected. It's a real testament to Jones’ rehab process and the medical team surrounding him.
The Colts don’t need Jones to significantly improve his performance. They just need him to replicate his start to last season and stay healthy for a full year.
If that happens, Ballard’s decision not to let Jones walk away in free agency would look like a genius move. It’s too early to tell right now, but Jones has exceeded expectations so far, and Indianapolis fans have to be excited by what they’re seeing.
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