Chris Ballard didn’t exactly reach for a normal quarterback comparison when talking about Daniel Jones’ recovery.
The Colts general manager went the NBA route, pointing to Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum as an example of how an Achilles injury can be conquered. The exact numbers were a little off, but Ballard’s larger point was clear: Jones is moving well, recovering fast and giving Indianapolis every reason to believe this could work.
“An Achilles injury is a major injury, yes, but there's been enough cases where people have come back. I mean, watch (Jayson) Tatum score 50, like nine and a half months after, 10 months.
I mean, so there's cases. We had Blackmon - Julian, who came back the next year.
I mean, we've had a number of rehabs here that have come back. So, we felt who he was and the work he would put in.
We thought he was going to be - the percentages were high that he was going to get back,” Ballard said.
Tatum’s comeback story is real enough even if Ballard missed on the scoring total. His season-high after the Achilles return was actually 32, not 50. Still, the bigger takeaway holds: a high-usage, high-movement player came back without setbacks and looked like himself again, and that matters when you’re trying to project what Jones can be.
That’s especially true because Jones has looked sharp throughout training camp. He’s taken plenty of snaps under center, which isn’t a throwaway detail when you’re talking about a quarterback rehabbing an Achilles. Those movements put real stress on the leg, and Jones has handled them without the limp or hesitation that would set off alarms.
He also brings more mobility than he usually gets credit for. Seeing him move freely, without favoring either leg, is a significant sign for the Colts.
Indianapolis has been careful with him, too. Jones sat out the preseason to protect the investment, and that made sense.
There’s always some rust to shake off, and live game reps are the best way to knock that away. But after what he showed in joint practices, the Colts clearly decided the risk wasn’t worth it.
And for a team that has had too much turnover at the most important position in football, this is the kind of development that can change the whole feel of the season. The Colts believe Jones can finally give them stability, even with some defensive questions still hanging around.
Ballard has tied a lot to Jones here, and the bet looks better by the day. If Jones can stay upright, operate from the pocket and find the open man, Indianapolis has a real shot to make this whole gamble pay off.
In Other News...
Spencer Shrader Explains His Colts Comeback Nobody Saw Coming
Spencer Shraders path back to the Colts kicking job has been one of the quieter stories of the offseason, but it ended with a decision that suddenly gives Indianapolis some stability at a position that often turns on the smallest margins. After recovering from an ACL injury in 2025, Shrader kept building as training camp moved on, then turned in a spotless preseason by hitting all five of his field goal tries, including three from beyond 50 yards.
That kind of finish made the competition with Blake Grupe hard to ignore, especially with Grupe connecting on two of four attempts. The Colts ultimately named Shrader their kicker for the 2026 season, a comeback few outside the building likely saw coming when the offseason began, and now the real question is whether that preseason confidence carries over once the games count for good. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Have Cap Flexibility But Ballard Faces A Bigger Question
The Colts enter Week 1 of the 2026 regular season with roughly $19.026 million in available salary cap space, a figure that puts them eighth in the NFL and gives Chris Ballard some real room to maneuver. Part of that flexibility comes from moving on from Michael Pittman, a move that cleared $24 million for this season and helped reshape the way Indianapolis has approached the roster heading into the opener.
Some of that space has already been put to work in building out the practice squad, and any leftover room can be carried over into the 2027 offseason. The bigger question for Ballard is what he wants that flexibility to become, because having cap space is useful only if it leads to the kind of addition or long-term planning that changes the shape of the Colts moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Fans Finally Have A Real Test For Lou Anarumo
A recent poll of NFL executives, coaches and general managers offered a useful snapshot of where Lou Anarumo stands around the league, and it was not exactly a runaway endorsement. The Colts new defensive coordinator drew one vote in The Athletics survey of the best defensive minds in football, a reminder that his reputation has long been built more on feel, flexibility and weekly adjustments than on splashy public acclaim.
That makes Indianapolis a fascinating place for him now, because this defense is being judged less on pedigree than on what it actually does on Sundays. Anarumo has spent eight seasons as a coordinator with multiple teams, and his units have generally finished in the lower half of the league in points and yards allowed, but the Colts are betting the collection of talent around him can change that in a hurry with players like Sauce Gardner and DeForest Buckner in place for 2026. [Read more 🡒]