INDIANAPOLIS – Long after virtually all of his teammates had headed back to the locker room, save for the team’s fourth-string quarterback and a few young – mostly undrafted – position players, Daniel Jones was at the end of the Colts’ indoor practice facility, turning in wind sprint after wind sprint, savoring the opportunity.
“You take a lot of that stuff for granted when you’re healthy,” Jones said Wednesday, still a week-plus short of six months since he tore his right Achilles tendon in a Week 14 road contest in Jacksonville last December. “And then you get hurt and you’re not able to do that stuff for a while.
“You miss being able to do a lot of it, so I’m just grateful to be back, and I’m very appreciative and grateful to our trainers, our (physical therapy) staff, everyone here who’s been helping me along the way – even though obviously I’ve still got a good ways to go.”
On Tuesday, the Colts kicked off their formal OTAs with Jones on the field, sporting a helmet, cleats and the traditional red quarterback jersey. For weeks, team brass has said publicly that the team’s starting quarterback had been dropping back and throwing, and they were hopeful Jones would participate in the Colts’ series of final on-field sessions before training camp begins in late-July but just how much action Jones would take part in was up in the air.
Wednesday’s practice, which was open to the media, gave a window into just where Jones is 171 days into his rehab process, with just more than two months until training camp and 109 days until the team’s season-opener against the Ravens in Lucas Oil Stadium – a target Jones continues to assert he’ll hit.
“Absolutely,” said Jones, when asked if he anticipated being the team’s Week 1 starter.
Any doubts at all?
“No, no there’s not. I understand the process. You’ve got to hit all your marks, and I have a lot of trust and faith in the doctors and trainers we have and our PT staff, and I trust in myself to do the work and put myself in position to play. That’s been my goal all along.”
Jones shuffled through individual pocket drills just as the team’s other three quarterbacks – though he, admittedly, wasn’t always as sharp, crisp or aggressive. There were also particular scramble, rollout or play-action pass drills where the Colts’ starter either temporarily stepped out of the rotation with Anthony Richardson Sr., Riley Leonard and Seth Henigan or did a modified, slowed-down or shortened rep. It was notable, however, that Jones did more than just your typical dropback and pass work during the team’s individual work Wednesday.
When the team moved into 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 work, Jones was notably absent, with Richardson and Leonard switching off reps with the starting offensive unit.
“It’s just about being smart when you are sore, but from my perspective, it’s also my job to push myself and continue to want to do more and try to do more and rely on the trainers, our strength staff and the PTs, everybody, to advise me on when is too much and when I need to slow down,” Jones said. “My mindset is always to try and push it as much as they’ll let me do.”
Regaining more elements of his explosiveness – particularly as a quarterback whose mobility is key to his effectiveness – is among the next boxes to check, Jones said.
“That’s an important part of the process and part of the latter stages. As you recover your strength and you work on all the movement stuff and get those patterns down, you’re working on the explosiveness and the quickness, acceleration, all that stuff,” Jones said. “You’ve got to be realistic and understand that the body’s got to heal, and there’s a process to it, and you’ve got to try and focus on what the next goal is while understanding what the long-term goal is.”
Colts head coach Shane Steichen told reporters Wednesday he believes Jones remains on schedule, and Steichen has long been optimistic his starting quarterback could return as normal for the start of the team’s training camp.
“He’s doing everything in his power. He’s here all day, every day, rehabbing. To see him out here throwing, dropping back, going through individual drills, it’s been really good,” Steichen said. “And I’m actually not surprised, just because of the way he works. When you rehab like he rehabs and put in the work that he does, it’s pretty impressive.
“People talk about injuries and what’s the fastest way to recover and it’s by doing the rehab process, and he’s relentless at that, and he’s doing an awesome job.”
Steichen said Wednesday he wouldn’t rule out Jones ramping up his participation in OTAs next week, with the possibility the starting quarterback could work his way into the team’s 7-on-7 action. “We’ll see how this week goes,” Steichen said. “But he’s doing really good.”
As Jones reenters the fold this week in formal on-field drills, he said his right Achilles remains top of mind – in part, because it’s still important to monitor how it feels and whether those feelings, good or bad, change. Additionally, he admitted, there remains the reality of the enormity of this lengthy, at times laborious process, and there continue to be boxes left to be checked before mid-September.
“Yeah, I think I’m still aware of it. So much of my training is still rehab, in a large sense, so that’s still top of mind on where your Achilles and calf and that whole process is. It’s definitely still top of mind,” Jones said. “I’ve just got to be patient and stick with the process and trust that. I went through something similar with my knee a few years go, and everyone’s a little bit different, but I’m lucky to be working with a great staff here with the Colts, and it’s been fun. Parts of it are tough, obviously, but it’s a different way of training and a different way of approaching an offseason.
“There’s definitely still work to be done and progress to be made. Just continuing to get stronger, run faster, cut harder and progress according to the program. I think we’ve hit all our marks so far, so we’ll continue to do that.”
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: Daniel Jones back on field for Colts OTAs 6 months after Achilles tear
Reporting by Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
