Daniel Jones is back on the field, and the timing is remarkable.
The Indianapolis Colts quarterback is fully cleared for training camp, per Jones himself, less than eight months after tearing his Achilles tendon in a Week 14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was a full participant when camp opened on Wednesday.
“Plan is to be back in 11-on-11, full team drills Wednesday when we start up practice,” Jones said. He was as good as his word.
This is an aggressive timeline for an Achilles injury. Most NFL players who tear their Achilles miss the following season entirely or come back late in the year at reduced capacity. Aaron Rodgers took about a full year to return and was clearly not himself for another year after that. Kirk Cousins came back and never looked like the same quarterback.
Jones going full participation just under eight months after the tear is going to be one of the more interesting recovery stories to watch in the NFL this year.
The context of the signing is important. The Colts gave Jones a record-breaking contract during his Achilles rehab. That was a huge bet on his recovery and his ability to bounce back to being the level of quarterback he was when the Giants first extended him.
The upside for Indianapolis is obvious. If Jones is back at anything close to his 2022 form, when he threw for over 3,200 yards, rushed for 700-plus yards, and led the Giants to a playoff win, he could be a top-15 quarterback for the Colts. Combine that with a solid supporting cast in Indianapolis, and you have a real chance at making the playoffs in the AFC South.
The downside is also obvious. Jones was benched by the Giants last season for a reason. His mechanics had degraded, his decision-making got worse under pressure, and he was throwing interceptions at a career-high rate before the injury. If those issues carry over to Indianapolis, the Colts will have paid a lot of money for a middling quarterback with a scary injury history.
The other wrinkle is the quarterback room. Anthony Richardson is still on the roster, though he has fallen out of favor after two injury-plagued seasons in which he struggled with accuracy. Rookie Riley Leonard was drafted as a developmental option. The Colts are set up for competition, but Jones was signed to be the starter, and everyone knows it.
How Indianapolis manages his workload through training camp will tell us a lot about how confident the medical staff is in his Achilles. If Shane Steichen sits him in the first preseason game and only lets him play a series or two in the second one, that is a “we are being careful” signal. If Jones takes normal starter reps, that is a sign of full confidence.
The regular season opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 13 is the real test. That is a divisional-level opponent with a great defense. If Jones looks fluid in that game, the Colts will be dangerous.
For a guy who tore his Achilles in December, being on the practice field in July with no restrictions is an incredible medical outcome. Now he has to prove that the mind and mechanics still work at NFL speed. That test starts now.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
