Where do the Indianapolis Colts’ Shane Steichen and Daniel Jones rank among the rest of the NFL’s head coach-quarterback duos heading into the 2026 season?
Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame recently ranked these pairings from 1 to 32, with Stiechen and Jones coming in at No. 23. A year ago, Verderame had this duo ranked 24th.
With Steichen, Verderame noted the instability that the Colts have had at quarterback during his tenure as head coach, which is in part due to injuries, but also some subpar play.
When it comes to Jones, the primary question Verderame had was, what version of him will the Colts be getting in 2026 as he comes off an Achilles injury?
Through 10 games, we saw just how good this one-two punch of Steichen and Jones can be. During that stretch, the Colts were 8-2 with Jones proudcing at a high level, while the offense as a whole was one of the highest scoring units in football.
But even before Jones’ season ended due to injury, that red-hot start that both he and the offense experienced had cooled off.
“Last year, Jones started white-hot with a 7–1 record, completing 71.2% of passes with 8.5 yards per attempt, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions,” wrote Verderame. “In the following five contests, Jones went 1–4, completing 62.4% of passes with a 7.4 YPA, six touchdowns and five picks.”
The Colts chose to retain both Steichen and GM Chris Ballard this season, along with re-signing Jones, operating under the belief that the success the team had to begin last season can be replicated in 2026 and sustained.
However, for that to happen, the combination of Steichen and Jones needs to have answers to how defenses began defending them. Unlike last season, the Colts won’t have the same level of surprise on their side this year. Teams have 12-plus games of film to watch how this offense operated with Jones under center.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts’ Steichen, Jones don’t receive favorable ranking among HC-QB duos
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Colts Wire / Colts Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
