INDIANAPOLIS – Shane Steichen has been watching some basketball in his scant spare moments this offseason. The player who’s caught his eye?
Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum, who last month returned to the court 298 days (or nine months and three weeks) after undergoing surgery for a torn Achilles tendon suffered last May in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and who in the six weeks since has looked every bit the talent he was a year ago.
Colts starting quarterback Daniel Jones had the same injury with the same surgeon – Dr. Martin O’Malley, who also performed Achilles tendon surgery on Pacers star Tyrese Halliburton – so watching Tatum return to his dominant ways has been encouraging to see.
“I had a chance to talk to (Celtics president of basketball operations) Brad Stevens and that rehab process (Tatum) went through, and he was in the building all day, every day, and Daniel’s the same way,” Steichen told reporters Tuesday. “Those guys know how to go about their business in the rehab process and do it the right way.
“(Daniel’s) rehab process has been phenomenal.”
Steichen revealed to reporters that Jones has not only been throwing, but has begun dropping back four-and-a-half months post-operation, which the Colts head coach deemed “a big step.”
“We’ve got to be smart with him, for sure. Obviously, we’re not playing any games right now but I know he’s rippin’ and roarin’ and ready to go and all those things,” said Steichen, whose team returned to the practice facility this week for the kickoff of the Colts’ offseason workout program.
The head coach said it’s still too early to determine what role and level of activity Jones may have in the team’s OTAs, but neither Steichen nor general manager Chris Ballard eliminated the prospect when asked this week either.
“We’ll see. I know he’s done a helluva job with his rehab,” Steichen said. “He’s been tirelessly working at it. He’s been in here every day, 8 (a.m.) to 3 (p.m.). I know he’s trying to hit certain landmarks, and he’s on a good path with that. He’s dropping back, throwing, so he’s in a good spot.
“We’ll see how OTAs go but I anticipate him being ready for training camp.”
Jones played two weeks in the back-half of last season with a fractured fibula before going down late in the first quarter of a Dec. 7 game in Jacksonville with the season-ending injury. He underwent surgery that week with O’Malley in New York City and was seen on the sidelines at games just weeks later, hardly missing a day at the team facility. In March, he signed a two-year, $88 million deal to remain with the Colts after the franchise placed the transition tag on the veteran quarterback on the eve of free agency. Days later, Jones told reporters he continues to target a Week 1 return, a goal that would require being ready by the start of training camp in late-July in order to build days upon days of game-like reps in practice.
A Week 1 return to in-game action, notably, would come close to three weeks sooner than Tatum.
“I’m confident I’ll be ready to go,” Jones said last month. “With that being said, I understand it’s a process. There is a lot of work to do, and I’m ready to do it. I’ve got to continue to check the boxes.”
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts Shane Steichen says QB Daniel Jones dropping back, throwing in Achilles rehab
Reporting by Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
