The Indianapolis Colts are making their priorities pretty clear in camp: keep Daniel Jones clean, keep him confident, and keep moving him toward a full-season return.
That message was on display Monday in a brief training camp clip the team posted, showing offensive linemen walling off pass rushers while Jones dropped back in a red non-contact jersey. The caption said it all: “no fly zone around 1.”
It was only eight seconds long, but it fit the bigger picture around Colts camp. Jones is back on the field after tearing his Achilles’ in Week 14 of the 2025 season, and the team is now preparing to open the 2026 season with him as the unquestioned starter.
The injury cut short a strong run for Jones, one that had the Colts at 8-2 and had him in the Comeback Player of the Year conversation, according to SI’s Horseshoe Huddle. He signed a new contract with Indianapolis in March, then spent the offseason moving from individual throwing work to full seven-on-seven reps by the end of minicamp, per the Colts’ official training camp preview.
Camp began July 29 at Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Indiana, and Jones was back in full team periods for the first time since the injury. In that first practice, he went 4 of 8 through the air.
But the rep that stood out most came when he felt pressure, escaped it, and picked up yards with his legs instead of just dumping the ball away. According to SI’s Colts site, that was a sign his mobility is trending back toward normal less than eight months after surgery.
“It’s not a lack of confidence necessarily,” Jones said, according to that same report. “I think it’s just building the strength back and building the repetition. Getting your body used to doing it again.”
That’s why every snap matters right now. The Colts are watching how Jones moves in pads and how the line holds up in front of him. Head coach Shane Steichen has been following those early practices closely, and the team has continued putting Jones through 11-on-11 work as camp goes on, according to the team’s training camp coverage.
Anthony Richardson Sr. is still in the quarterback room too, and the two are continuing to split camp work, per Colts.com’s training camp media availability recap. Even so, Jones remains the clear starter heading into Indianapolis’ Sept. 13 opener against the Baltimore Ravens.
For now, the Colts’ social post was just a quick snapshot. But it backed up the bigger plan: protect the quarterback, let the leg keep coming around, and get Jones ready to go.
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Four practices into training camp, the Colts are already getting a better sense of which rookies might have a path to meaningful snaps this season. CJ Allen has settled back into his starting linebacker spot, while the rest of the first-year group has been spread across the depth chart in a way that gives the staff an early look at both immediate competition and longer-term development. AJ Haulcy is the clearest name to watch on the defensive side, as he is in the mix for a starting safety job even if his snap count has been limited so far.
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Colts Make Abrupt Camp Move After Young Cornerback's Injury
Training camp has already forced a shakeup in the Colts cornerback room. Indianapolis moved on from Cameron Mitchell, waiving the young defender after he was injured during camp, and brought in undrafted rookie Mekhi Rodgers following a recent workout. Mitchell had appeared in eight games for the Colts last season, so the move carries a little more weight than a routine camp transaction.
Rodgers now gets a quick path into the mix after earning his opportunity at rookie minicamp, while the Colts wait to see how Mitchells waiver process plays out. If Mitchell clears, he would land on injured reserve, but for now the bigger picture is simply that Indianapolis needed another healthy body at a spot where every practice rep matters this time of year. [Read more 🡒]