The noise around Daniel Jones is getting louder, but the Colts’ coaching staff isn’t backing off.
While outside support for the Indianapolis quarterback keeps slipping, offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter made it clear where he stands. Jones has had a rough season - his worst since his New York Giants days - and the numbers have been brutal.
He ranks 31st in passer rating, 31st in yards per pass, 26th in completion percentage, 30th in touchdown pass percentage and 29th in total QBR. He’s also tied for the NFL lead with 12 turnovers, including nine interceptions and three lost fumbles.
Even with all of that, Cooter didn’t leave much room for interpretation when asked about Jones.
"We're behind Daniel 100%. We gotta go play better around him.
That'll help him play better. Different players on our offense have different tools that have the ability to go help us,"
That kind of backing matters, especially with Jones coming off a benching late in the Colts’ 42-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 8 and still set to start against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9. Head coach Shane Steichen said Monday that Jones gives Indianapolis the best chance to win, which is the kind of line a coach usually has to say about his starter. But Cooter’s comments carried more force, because he shifted the focus away from Jones and onto the rest of the offense.
And that offense is in flux. The Colts are sitting third in the AFC South, have already fired executives, traded away franchise cornerstones and could still make more moves before next week’s NFL trade deadline. Jonathan Taylor is in the middle of trade rumors, and Josh Downs has already submitted his trade request, with a deal possibly coming by next Tuesday.
For now, though, Jones still has the support that counts most inside the building. The question is whether that backing can translate into something better on Sunday against Dallas.
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Jonathan Taylor and Daniel Jones sit right in the middle of that discussion, which makes this matchup feel like more than a routine chance to clean things up against a Dallas defense that has its own issues. A win would help steady the mood, but the Colts are also staring at the possibility that how they manage this week could say as much about their long-term plan as the final score does. [Read more 🡒]
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For the Colts, the timing makes this a particularly uncomfortable storyline to revisit. Taylor did not ask for a trade, but the fact that his future remains unresolved keeps one of Indianapolis biggest deadline questions alive, with the clock still ticking and no clear answer yet on whether he will be part of the team beyond this week. [Read more 🡒]