The status of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones for the start of the 2026 NFL season remains up in the air amid his ongoing recovery from the torn Achilles tendon he suffered on Dec. 7, 2025.
Jones was cleared to participate in 7-on-7 drills ahead of the club’s mandatory minicamp, which wrapped up on June 11. For a piece published on Monday, NFL insider Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom US shared that the Colts seemingly continue to get good news about Jones amid the club’s summer break.
Daniel Jones may be able to avoid this designation for the start of training camp
“[Jones] continues to trend in a positive direction and left a strong impression during the team’s spring practices about his availability for the early stages of training camp,” La Canfora wrote. “Jones did not take part in full team drills this spring, but, according to a league source, looks to be in a position to steer clear of having to open camp on the physically unable to participate list.”
Jones has a worrisome injury history, which is why it wasn’t shocking when Colts head coach Shane Steichen revealed earlier in June that the club will “be smart” with easing the signal-caller back into practices. While with the New York Giants from 2019 through the fall of 2024, Jones missed a handful of games due to concerning neck issues. He also suffered a torn ACL during the 2023 season.
Are the Colts worried about how Daniel Jones will play this coming fall?
“The Colts will certainly be very careful with Jones,” La Canfora continued, “coming off an Achilles tear, and we’ve seen that injury significantly hamper older quarterbacks like Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers in their first season after surgery. Jones is younger and far more mobile than either, and it will be interesting to see if [the Colts] lean away from option plays and designed runs for him early in the season.”
As of the fourth Monday of June, 2023 first-round draft pick Anthony Richardson Sr. and 2025 sixth-round pick Riley Leonard remained on track to compete for the Colts’ QB2 job this summer. La Canfora added that the Colts “not adding anyone of note to their mix” of quarterbacks this spring shows they “feel good about Jones’ recovery.”
That’s all well and good, but one can currently only guess how Jones will look when the Colts open the regular season with a matchup versus the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 13.