Daniel Jones Hasn’t Missed a Camp Practice Since Achilles Clearance, and Steichen Says He’s ‘On Fire’

Daniel Jones has answered the biggest question hanging over the Indianapolis Colts’ 2026 season, at least for now. Less than eight months after tearing his right Achilles tendon, the quarterback has been a full participant in training camp and hasn’t missed a practice since being cleared for team drills.

Jones ruptured the Achilles in Week 14 of the 2025 season during a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, an injury that ended his year and forced surgery within days. According to CBS Sports, the Colts placed him on injured reserve shortly after, with head coach Shane Steichen acknowledging at the time that a return by Week 1 of 2026 was no sure thing.

That uncertainty has mostly faded. Jones took full team reps on the first day of camp at Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, and has stayed on the field through joint practices since, according to the Colts’ official training camp coverage. Left guard Quenton Nelson put it bluntly: “He’s been incredible. He’s back like he’s never left. He worked so hard to get here,” Nelson said, per the team’s site.

Jones himself has echoed that confidence, while acknowledging the process isn’t finished. He’s expected to keep working on movement and conditioning over the coming weeks as his body readjusts to game speed.

Steichen: Jones Is ‘On Fire Right Now’

Steichen’s read on his quarterback matches what teammates are saying publicly. Colts beat outlets in Indianapolis reported the coach’s assessment after a joint practice against the Patriots. “We chart all the throws, we chart accuracy throws, all that stuff,” Steichen said, according to WISH-TV. “He’s on fire right now. It’s awesome to see.”

That’s a notable sentence given the injury. Achilles tears carry lingering questions about push-off power and lateral mobility, even after players are medically cleared. WISH-TV’s report noted Jones has already been scrambling outside the pocket during camp reps, not just standing in the pocket and delivering from a clean platform — a sign the team isn’t limiting him to a scripted, low-mobility rep count.

None of that means the recovery is finished. The Colts’ own reporting on Jones’ camp status has cautioned that he still has “boxes to check” between now and Week 1, roughly eight months removed from the injury, with his body still adjusting to the physical demands of a full practice schedule.

Backup Job Still Unsettled

While Jones’ status has stabilized, the competition behind him hasn’t. Neither Anthony Richardson nor rookie Riley Leonard has separated himself in the race for QB2, according to Steichen’s public comments during camp. The coach has described the battle as inconsistent on both sides, with flashes from each player but no clear leader yet.

That competition matters more than usual given Jones’ recent injury history — last season alone included a fibula fracture that limited him for multiple games before the season-ending Achilles injury. Whoever wins the backup job will be one snap away from significant playing time behind a quarterback who is still working back from a serious lower-leg injury.

The 2025 Breakout That Raised the Stakes

The urgency around Jones’ health traces back to how well he played before the injury. He arrived in Indianapolis in 2025 as a reclamation project after his release from the New York Giants, and the Colts initially viewed him as competition for Richardson rather than a guaranteed starter.

Jones won the job and made it look easy early on. He posted a 71.6% completion rate through the first three weeks of the season, the third-highest mark in the league at that point, while helping push Indianapolis to a 3-0 start. Over his first 10 games with the Colts before the fibula injury slowed him down, Jones completed 69.8% of his passes for 2,659 yards and a 101.6 passer rating, numbers that had the Colts leading the NFL in scoring during that stretch.

He finished the season having thrown for 3,101 yards with 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions across 13 starts, ranking third in the league in yards per attempt and fourth in completion percentage before the Achilles injury ended his year.

Those numbers are why the Colts re-signed Jones and why his health is treated as the single biggest swing factor for their 2026 season. If he’s back to the player he was over the first 10 games of last year, Indianapolis has a real shot in the AFC South. If the Achilles recovery slows him down early, the offense could look very different than it did during that hot start.