Now what for the Colts?

With Daniel Jones' devastating Achilles tear, the Colts are doomed to miss the playoffs. But they have even greater issues moving forward. What to do with Ballard? Steichen? The QB?Stay tuned.

MY COUCH, Ind. – His name is Chris Ballard.

And he’s screwed.

His name is Shane Steichen.

And he, too, is screwed, albeit not necessarily as screwed as Ballard.

Her name is Carlie Irsay-Gordon.

And she’s screwed as well.

The Indianapolis Colts, losers of four of five games and in a freefall after Sunday’s 36-19 loss to the Jaguars in Jacksonville, are in a world of hurt. Daniel Jones, the erstwhile quarterback of the present and the future, is gone for the season – and perhaps for a portion of next season – with a torn Achilles. And that changes everything.

Questions: If the Colts fail to make the playoffs, and that looks likely with Riley Leonard starting these last four games against a Murderer’s Row of opponents on the last month’s schedule, what does that mean for Ballard’s and Steichen’s employment futures? If Ballard, in particular, survives after a season that is now circling the drain, does he re-sign Jones after the Achilles surgery, or do the Colts start the quarterback search anew? And given those circumstances,, how does he find a new quarterback without a first-round draft pick these next two years, which were traded away for Sauce Gardner (a trade that looked good at the time, but now stands as a boondoggle)? That’s not to say you can’t find quarterback prospects in the second round and beyond, but it surely makes the process more difficult.