I’m not terribly worried about Daniel Jones, not about his Achilles tendon, not about his ability to bounce back from major surgery, not about his ability to replicate his play from the first 10 games last year.
If you’ve spent any time around training camp, you know this:
Jones looks phenomenal.
It’s extraordinary how quickly and how completelyhe has come back, returning to the lineup without showing a single sign of being limited in any appreciable way. The Colts haven’t had to limit his participation once this entire preseason. It took him just 7 ½ months, roughly 235 days to return to training camp after his Dec. 7, 2025 injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Compare that with Boston Celtics star, Jayson Tatum, who took roughly 300 days (just under 10 months) to return to the floor. And if you’re wondering about the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton, who also tore his Achilles in the NBA Finals against OKC and was operated on by the same doctor who fixed Jones, it will have been 472 days, or 15 ½ months, before he returns to the floor for the Oct. 7 season opener.
Mind you, Jones has not played a full, injury-free season since 2022, when he led the New York Giants to the playoffs and a post-season victory. Given that troubling history, there’s always going to be questions about his ability to survive the season.
But based on what we’ve seen thus far – Jones ripping the ball, Jones showing elusiveness, Jones scrambling in and out of the pocket – there’s every reason to be bullish about this offense — especially with the addition of Keenan Allen.
“He looks great; I feel like he’s done everything right this camp,” said wide receiver Josh Downs. “…He hasn’t lost a step from last year, so I’m excited to see him going into week one.
“When Jayson Tatum came back pretty quick (last year after tearing his Achilles), I asked Daniel about it. He’s like, `Well, I can probably come back quicker because basketball and football are so different.’ So I knew he was doing everything he was supposed to do, and then when I saw him in the spring taking reps, I already knew he was going to be ready for camp because I was surprised he was even taking reps that early.”
I will, however, tell you what I am worried about with these Indianapolis Colts:
