Daniel Jones doesn’t sound worried about his Achilles anymore. The Indianapolis Colts quarterback gave fans a clean bill of health this weekend, and training camp is now just days away.
Jones joined the ESPN broadcast of the NFL FLAG Championships in Westfield, Indiana, on Sunday and delivered the update Colts fans have been waiting on since his 2025 season ended early.
“I feel good. Really good,” Jones said, according to NBC Sports. “Excited to get going. We report tomorrow, first practice Wednesday, so good to go. I’m excited to get rolling.”
That’s not just a quarterback saying the right thing into a microphone. Head coach Shane Steichen backed it up standing right next to him.
“He looks great. He’s attacked the rehab process, as good as it gets,” Steichen said. “He’s in that building all spring from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. He’s put in the work.”
Jones tore his Achilles late in the 2025 season, ending what had been a strong bounce-back year in Indianapolis after a rough exit from New York. He landed on injured reserve on December 9 and spent the winter and spring rebuilding.
He wasn’t cleared for full team drills this spring. Jones worked through individual drills during OTAs and got reps in 7-on-7 periods at minicamp, but he was held out of full team periods as the Colts managed his return. That restriction ends this week. Steichen said Jones will be a full participant once camp opens.
The setting for the update fit the moment. The 2026 NFL FLAG Championships took over Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield from July 23–26, the same grounds where Colts training camp is held. Jones was on hand throughout, presenting the Boys 14U championship trophy and mixing with the youth flag football community before turning his attention to his own return.
Catching up with @Daniel_Jones10 🐎
2026 @NFLFLAG Championships on ESPN/NFLNhttps://t.co/u9u8C2UgX8 to find a league near you pic.twitter.com/193LTocuOA
— NFL (@NFL) July 26, 2026
Why This Matters for the Colts’ Season
Indianapolis handed Jones a two-year, $88 million contract this offseason to stay put, betting his 2025 form was the real thing and not a one-year mirage. Before the injury, he’d looked like the version of himself the Giants drafted sixth overall back in 2019 — decisive, mobile, in command of the offense.
An Achilles tear is the kind of injury that can linger into a player’s movement and confidence well past the point doctors call him “healed.” Jones avoiding any hedging in his language — no “day-to-day,” no “we’ll see” — is the strongest signal the team has gotten publicly that he’s trending toward game-ready rather than camp-limited.
He’ll get an immediate real-world test. Colts veterans report to Grand Park on Tuesday, July 28, with the first padded practice set for Wednesday, July 29. If Jones takes every rep without a hitch, that answers the lingering question about Indianapolis’ AFC South chances better than any comment from Sunday could.
Colts Training Camp: Key Dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| July 27 | Rookies report to Grand Park |
| July 28 | Veterans report to Grand Park |
| July 29 | First training camp practice, Jones expected full participant |
| Aug. 19–20 | Joint practices vs. Atlanta Falcons |
| Aug. 20 | Training camp concludes (final year at Grand Park) |
This is also the last Colts training camp at Grand Park in Westfield. The team announced in June that camp moves to the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center in Indianapolis starting in 2027, closing out an eight-year run in Westfield.
Nothing about Jones’ Achilles is officially “cleared” in a formal, published medical sense — the Colts have not issued a press release stating so. What’s confirmed is that a source with direct knowledge, Steichen, said Jones will be a full participant, and Jones himself said the same in his own words. That’s about as strong as unofficial confirmation gets in the NFL.
