The last time the world saw Daniel Jones in action before this season, he was a mess. His body had been battered by years of abuse behind an awful Giants offensive line. He looked scared and jumpy in the pocket. Whatever potential was once there sure seemed to be gone.
So it was no surprise that back in August, several NFL sources told me they were skeptical that Jones could have the kind of rebound season that Sam Darnold had last year in Minnesota. They believed in Jones’ talent — to a point — but they didn’t think he’d find instant success in Indianapolis.
One month later, with “Indiana Jones” ranking among the NFL’s passing leaders, are they willing to admit they might have been wrong?
“Look it’s early,” said an NFL assistant coach. “But obviously he’s done far better in the first three games than I ever expected.”
“It’s too soon to say I was wrong,” said an NFC scout. “But I definitely can’t say I was right.”
It takes a lot to get Daniel Jones to smile, but even he has to be happy about how his Colts career has started. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
What they both said back in August was that the 28-year-old Jones had ability that a good coach in a “perfect situation” would be able to harness. Jones had flashed that earlier in his career with the Giants before injuries and a constant beating took its toll.
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What neither of them believed, though, was that Indianapolis was the right place, or that Colts coach Shane Steichen would have the kind of success that Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell had with Darnold in 2024. The Colts had a terrible defense (29th in the NFL last year) that the sources believed would put too much pressure on their offense. Their offensive line had lost two starters to free agency, which they thought would be bad news for a jumpy Jones. And they had questions about the team’s weapons outside of running back Jonathan Taylor.
Also, while Steichen had worked wonders with Jalen Hurts when he was the offensive coordinator in Philadelphia, he had done nothing for Anthony Richardson, the quarterback the Colts selected with the fourth pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. So there were questions about Steichen’s ability to fix a broken quarterback, too.
“I probably shouldn’t have dismissed Steichen as much as I did,” the scout said, “but I might have been really wrong about the offensive line. They lost two guys in free agency (center Ryan Kelly and guard Will Fries) and I thought that would hurt them more than it has. They’re not letting anybody touch Jones (two sacks in three games).”
“It’s a good reminder of how the Giants failed Jones more than Jones failed the Giants,” added the assistant coach. “Give him time in the pocket and he clearly can still play.”
Jones has proven that with a dazzling start to the season. He has completed 71.6% of his passes (63-of-88) for 816 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s also run 17 times for 55 yards and three touchdowns. And not only are the Colts 3-0, but in their 33-8 win over the Dolphins in Week 1, they became the first team since 1977 to score on every one of its offensive possessions.
In fact, the Colts didn’t punt for the first time until the third drive of their third game. They are averaging 34.3 points per game — second highest in the league.
It’s not all about Jones, of course. Taylor is off to a phenomenal start too, with 338 rushing yards through three games. But Jones’ transformation has been the most remarkable development, considering he was benched and released by the Giants last season, spent a few months as a backup in Minnesota, and then had to battle Richardson for his job this summer.
He looks like a more confident quarterback, too — even under pressure. Jones, the sixth overall pick of the 2019 draft, was incredibly susceptible to blitzing defenses in New York. But in his short time in Indianapolis, he has completed 27 of 43 passes for a league-best 415 yards and a touchdown against blitzes so far this year.
“That’s the most amazing part to me,” the scout said. “I think I told you he was ‘yippy’ in New York, and he was. He bailed out on everything. He saw danger and pressure when it wasn’t there. That can be hard to correct sometimes when young-ish quarterbacks are basically seeing ghosts.
“But he’s standing strong in the pocket now, taking his time and firing downfield in ways he never did [with the Giants]. Granted, the pressure isn’t the same. It’s not on top of him in a split second the way it was in New York. But when it’s coming he’s unfazed. That’s a pretty remarkable turnaround.”
As impressed as those sources are with Jones’ early success, though, both admitted to wondering how long it will last. The Colts’ schedule so far has been pretty soft. Their wins came over three teams — the Dolphins, Broncos and Titans — with a combined record of 1-8 and with defenses ranked in the bottom half of the league.
Jones faces a much stiffer test on Sunday in Los Angeles against the 2-1 Rams and their fifth-ranked defense. He’ll return to L.A. three weeks later to face a tough, and currently undefeated, Chargers team.
“I’m still not sold on the team he has around him, though it’s clearly better than I thought,” the assistant coach said. “But what he’s showed me is that the talent is still there. I told you that. I told you I thought he could thrive in the perfect situation. I still don’t think this is that, but it’s obviously been pretty good so far.”
Added the scout: “Talent tends to win out in this league, and I think that’s what we’re seeing. He always could play. He always had the tools. But he was in an absolutely miserable situation [in New York], where I don’t think any quarterback could have thrived.
“Now he’s thriving because he’s got a better cast around him. We’ll see how long it lasts. But for now, he’s proving a lot of people wrong.”
Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.
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