Daniel Jones Says He's Full-Go for Colts Camp Just 8 Months After Achilles Tear

Fewer than eight months after tearing his right Achilles, Daniel Jones says he's ready to run full-team drills when the Colts open camp Wednesday. Speaking on 'The Pat McAfee Show,' Jones said he plans to be a full participant in 11-on-11 work — a remarkably aggressive timeline for one of the nastier injuries a quarterback can suffer.

Rewind to why this matters. Before he went down Dec. 7 against Jacksonville, Jones had quietly built a QB15 season on our rankings: 3,101 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, zero interceptions, plus 164 rushing yards and five scores on the ground across 13 games. That added up to 246 PPR points — startable numbers, and a genuine surprise for a player who'd arrived in Indy on a one-year, $14 million prove-it deal.

The Achilles wasn't even the whole story. Jones had been playing through a fractured left fibula for weeks before the tendon gave out, gutting through a two-game skid to the Chiefs and Jaguars while the Colts' season quietly slipped away.

How the Colts Fell Apart

Indianapolis was 8-2 heading into its bye and looked like a real AFC problem. Then the injuries stacked up. Once Jones was done, the offense fell to rookie Riley Leonard and then to 44-year-old Philip Rivers, dragged out of a four-year retirement. The Colts lost their final seven games and finished 8-9. That's how thin the margin was without their quarterback.

The front office clearly saw enough to commit. Jones was slated to play on the rarely used transition tag but instead agreed to a two-year, $88 million deal early in free agency. That's franchise-QB money for a guy who was on a battle-for-the-job contract 12 months earlier.

Jones was measured about the road ahead. He said he can do everything on the field and feels like he's in a good spot, but acknowledged there's still 'that last little bit' to reclaim before he's back to 100 percent — and he expects to get there over the next month of team reps.

The Comparison Nobody Wants

The cautionary tales are real. Aaron Rodgers (our QB19) and Kirk Cousins (QB38) both slogged through rough returns from Achilles tears. The difference is age: Jones is 29, while both of those injuries hit late in a career. Younger legs recover better, but his comfort under center and how Indy manages his snaps over the next few weeks are the things to watch.

The Fantasy Fallout

The obvious winner is Jones himself. He's currently sitting at QB15 in our rankings, and if drafters get spooked by the injury tag, that's a discount on a dual-threat quarterback who was posting mid-QB1 numbers before he got hurt. His five rushing scores and clean zero-interception line are the profile you want in a value target.

The obvious loser is Riley Leonard. The rookie graded out as our QB48 across five starts (415 yards, two TDs, three picks) and is now firmly back in clipboard duty. He's a deep-league handcuff at best — droppable in anything but the largest formats. Anyone who stashed him late hoping for a repeat opportunity can move on.

Bottom line: don't overthink Jones. If he's truly full-go by the Sept. 13 opener against Baltimore, this is a buy-low window on a top-15 fantasy quarterback. Draft him as your QB2 with clear upside, monitor his camp workload, and be ready to promote him if the Achilles holds up through August. The risk is real, but the price should more than cover it.