The Colts took a big swing on Daniel Jones, and early in camp, that gamble is looking a lot better than it did on paper.
Chris Ballard paid for upside and recovery all at once, handing Jones a two-year, $88 million deal after last season was cut short by a torn right Achilles tendon in Week 14. At the time, it was easy to see why the move carried so much heat: Jones was coming off a major injury, his résumé had plenty of rough patches, and Indianapolis was betting heavily on a player who had only given them a half-season sample of top-level play.
But with less than four weeks to go before the regular season, the early returns have been hard to ignore.
Jones was cleared for full team drills in July, less than eight months after the injury, and he has kept stacking positive moments ever since. Camp reports point to a quarterback who is throwing with precision, moving naturally, and looking far more comfortable than anyone had a right to expect this soon.
The connection with his receivers appears to be back in place quickly. Jones has been completing a high percentage of his throws and fitting passes into tight windows.
According to The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones, “wide receiver Josh Downs said Jones looked so good at the start of camp that he forgot about the injury.” Two other team sources went even further, saying that Jones “looked like he never suffered an injury, let alone the sort that can be devastating for professional athletes.”
The mobility piece matters just as much. Jones’ speed and movement were always going to be under the microscope after the Achilles tear, and so far, he’s answered those questions with his legs.
He has been rolling out, escaping pressure, and showing the burst to turn a scramble into a full sprint. He’s already close to reaching the 20 miles-per-hour mark for top speed and is getting back toward the speed he had before the injury.
Former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano summed it up this way: “It's great to see Daniel Jones moving around like he is... You would never even know that he was injured.”
What stands out most is how normal Jones looks. He’s carrying himself with confidence, and the injury doesn’t seem to have shaken the parts of his game that matter most. That says plenty about the work he’s done in rehab and the medical support around him.
The Colts don’t need Jones to reinvent himself. They need him to play like he did at the start of last season and stay on the field for 17 games. If he does that, Ballard’s decision to keep him in Indianapolis instead of letting him hit free agency will start to look like a masterstroke.
It’s still early, but Jones has already gone beyond what most people expected. For the Colts, that’s reason enough to feel good about where this is headed.
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