Daniel Jones Updates Injury Rehab, Timeline for Return at Colts Training Camp After Tearing Achilles

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones expects to be a full participant in training camp when it opens Wednesday.

Jones said on The Pat McAfee Show he still has "some work to do" in his recovery from a torn Achilles but doesn't foresee anything keeping him off the field for practices.

Colts coach Shane Steichen discussed Jones during an appearance on SportsCenter on Saturday. He said the quarterback has "attacked the rehab process as good as it gets."

Assuming he's on the field for Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens, Jones might operate a little different in the pocket. He indicated to McAfee on Monday he could try to preserve his health by running even less.

Jones peaked at 120 carries and 708 rushing yards with the New York Giants in 2022. His 3.5 rushing attempts per game in 2025 matched a career low, so he appeared to be dialing it back on the ground by design already. The Achilles injury could force him to be more of a drop-back passer.

Simply having Jones to open the new campaign would be a major boost for the Colts.

To account for Patrick Mahomes' recovery from a torn ACL, the Kansas City Chiefs acquired Justin Fields to be the backup and possible spot starter. Indianapolis didn't take that approach as Anthony Richardson Sr. and Riley Leonard remain the first two quarterbacks behind Jones in the depth chart.

Having to elevate either to the starting role would be suboptimal. In the case of Richardson, we're entering the third year of trying to buy into his upside despite him having a limited body of evidence in the NFL.

It sounds like this ultimately won't be a problem for the Colts as long as Jones doesn't experience any setbacks.