INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Daniel Jones laughed Tuesday when he told reporters he had asked the Indianapolis Colts to let him rejoin full team activities this week.
Coach Shane Steichen is playing it safe — for now.
So Indy’s starting quarterback has been relegated to a second straight week of position group drills and seven-on-seven work as he continues to recover from a torn right Achilles tendon. No, it’s not a setback, it’s the plan.
“I asked, but yeah, I think right now it’s seven-on-seven,” Jones said. “I think I’m closer. I think there’s still work to be done. I wouldn’t say I’m all the way there at this point. So yeah, I mean I feel good about where I am, and kind of where the rehab is taking me to this point. I’ve still (got) work to do and still got to make some progress, but I feel like I’m in a good spot.”
For now, that will have to suffice for Jones.
Yes, Steichen continues to say he expects Jones to be a full go sometime during training camp, which begins next month. The target remains having Jones cleared to start the Sept. 13 season opener against Baltimore.
It’s still a pretty speedy timeline for an injury that often requires nine to 12 months of rehab to be fully recovered. Jones was injured Dec. 7 in a loss at Jacksonville, the second loss in a season-ending seven-game skid which kept the Colts out of the playoffs.
But as some athletes in recent years have returned on the earlier end of the timeframe, the Colts figure since it’s only June there’s no need to rush Jones or anyone else back.
“Very happy with his progress. I mean, he’s hitting all his landmarks each and every week, every day, putting in the work, but he’s feeling good,” Steichen said. “It was good to get him out there last week in seven-on-seven. Do it again this week. Then, I know he’ll work tirelessly this summer to be ready for training camp.”
Steichen said everyone made it to town for this week’s workouts, though some players such as receiver Alec Pierce and Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner are not practicing because of recent surgeries.
Anthony Richardson, who is fighting to remain Jones’ backup, also was on the field and again split snaps with second-year quarterback Riley Leonard. The Colts also have signed free agent Easton Stick, who worked with Steichen when they were both with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Much has changed for Jones over the past 15 months.
After signing a one-year, $14 million contract in March 2014 and then beating out Richardson for the starting job last summer, Jones seemed poised to cash in after leading the Colts to a 7-2 mark behind a historic nine-game run for the offense. Jones was so good, he entered the MVP debate almost exactly one year after the New York Giants released their former starter who was drafted No. 6 overall in 2019.
But Jones wasn’t the same following Indy’s bye as he tried to play through a broken bone in his left leg. Then came the season-ending Achilles tendon injury, the long losing streak and a lengthy road back.
Still, the Colts went all-in, signing him to a two-year deal worth up to $100 million in March — a move that cemented his place ahead of Richardson on the depth chart. Richardson was the No. 4 overall pick in 2023.
The question now is the same as it was back in March when Jones returned to the Colts: How far along is his rehab?
“It’s slow to start, but then once you reach certain points, it ramps up pretty quickly,” Jones said as he enters what he hopes are the last steps in rehab. “I feel good about a lot of movements, but really, hitting top, top speed I think that’s where your last step is, which I think makes sense.”
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