Daniel Jones is no stranger to long-term injuries. The Duke alum sustained a neck injury in 2021 that required surgery and an ACL tear in 2023. Both injuries happened when he played for the New York Giants.
During the Colts' Week 14 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2025, Jones tore his Achilles, sidelining him for the final four games of the season. Thus began the long road to recovery, which can be as challenging mentally as it is physically.
Jones has been doing everything he can physically. During an OTA practice Wednesday, he was able to snap the ball and drop back in individual drills. After, he ran up and down the field multiple times.
Throughout the process, Jones has been rehabbing with the Colts' training staff, and he has been in the building for all of it, including film sessions.
"You feel more a part of it," Jones said of being able to participate. "Being part of the walkthroughs and going through the plays, it feels more like you're back in the swing of things."
The mental hurdles that come with an injury such as Jones' are not to be ignored. One's gut instinct or competitive desires would tell them to get back up and run far earlier than they should.
For Jones, that has not been the case.
"It's the patience to stick with the process," he said about what he's learned mentally the last few months. "Parts of it are tough, but it's a different way of training and enjoying an offseason that I enjoyed a lot of aspects of."
His patience since the December injury have not gone unnoticed, and head coach Shane Steichen is not surprised with how his starter has handled everything.
"When you rehab like he rehabs and put in the work like he does, it's pretty impressive," Steichen said. "People talk about the fastest way to recover, and it's by doing the rehab process. He's relentless at that and he's doing a hell of a job with it."
