INDIANAPOLIS — Daniel Jones hasn’t gotten to the point where he can push his recovery yet.
A torn Achilles tendon is not like the torn ACL he suffered in New York. For three months now, Jones has been patient, allowing his surgically repaired Achilles to heal back together.
The time to work, to push himself towards his goal of being ready for the season opener, is coming.
“I’m confident I’ll be ready to go,” Jones said. “My goal is to be ready for Week 1. With that being said, I understand it is 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.”
The Achilles tendon Jones tore in Jacksonville is the most important storyline surrounding the Colts this offseason.
Indianapolis owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon brought back general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen, in large part, because of the way the Colts started the 2025 season, a start that hinged on Jones becoming the final piece of the puzzle.
The Colts remain committed to Jones, so committed that they signed him to a two-year deal worth $88 million. By all accounts, Jones has been the plan at quarterback in Indianapolis throughout the offseason.
The plan hinges on Jones recovering from his torn Achilles tendon well enough to play the way he did at the start of 2025.
“I can see that it’s real, part of the process, and I understand the team has to take that into account,” Jones said. “I’m very confident in being back to 100% and ready to go. I’m working every day to do that, I have really good people helping me get there.”
Because of how much weight is figuratively on Jones’ recovering Achilles tendon, everybody wants to know when he’ll be back.
The problem is that it’s not time for Jones to start pushing it yet.
“You know, I did my knee a few years ago, and that just starts a little quicker from a rehab standpoint. You can afford to be a little bit more aggressive initially,” Jones said. “With this Achilles, there’s an emphasis on being patient, at least initially, to let the repair heal and kind of set in place, and there’s a time to push it later on in the process.”
Pushing a torn Achilles tendon before it is time can lead to another rupture.
No one wants another rupture. Jones wants to open the 2026 season as the team’s starter, roughly nine months after his 2025 season ended on a rainy field in Jacksonville.
“I’m on schedule. From everything the doctors are telling me, trainers, rehab, PTs, I’m in a good spot,” Jones said. “I’ve hit my marks, and I’ve just got to continue to do that. It’s a process. I understand. You kind of keep checking the boxes, and keep progressing as the rehab protocol plays out. I just stick to that, but I feel good with that right now.”
Jones would like to push as hard as he can.
He’d like to be on the field in organized team activities in May, throwing to receivers if possible, although he knows that might not be realistic. If he’s going to start the season opener, Jones will have to be on the practice field at training camp.
It’s simply too early to know how much he’ll be able to do.
“I’m not exactly sure at this point,” Jones said. “You’d like to practice as much as you can going into Week One, and my goal would be that: To practice as much as I can during training camp. I think that’s a realistic expectation.”
Jones has been through this process before.
Too many times. Jones has played a full season only once in his NFL career, a big reason why the Colts only signed him to a two-year deal — an extension that essentially costs as much as the transition tag this year and the franchise tag next year — despite Steichen and Ballard’s belief in what they saw from Jones last season.
Indianapolis reinvented Jones as a pocket passer, asking him to run far less than he did at any point during his career in New York, and Jones still suffered a fractured fibula and a torn Achilles tendon. Ballard has said he believes Jones will be able to move past the injuries, but until it happens, it will always be a worry.
For now, Jones is worried mostly about rehabilitating the injury that ended his 2025 season and crippled the Colts down the stretch.
“Certainly, I’ve had my fair share of injuries throughout my career, but I think that’s part of it,” Jones said. “I work hard to keep my body in a good place, and unfortunately, at times you get tough breaks here and there. I’m confident I can stay healthy and protect myself.”
The Colts are hoping he’s right.
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: How Colts QB Daniel Jones’ Achilles rehab is different from his ACL recovery
Reporting by Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
