It seems like every year, we're getting more and more proof that all a quarterback needs is a good situation to succeed. Over the last few years, we've seen quarterbacks written off as “bad” players get a career resurgence after joining a new team. From Baker Mayfield finding a hope in Tampa Bay to Sam Darnold shedding the bust label in Minnesota, more and more quarterbacks are finding a new lease of life in the NFL. This season, the Cinderella player is one Daniel Jones, who's been lights out with the Indianapolis Colts in the last two games.
Jones joined the Colts this offseason after being released by the New York Giants. Many doubted the former first-round pick, even after he won the starting gig over Anthony Richardson. Now, we're seeing with the Indy coaching staff decided to start Jones.
Past struggles
Daniel Jones was the Giants' first-round draft pick in the 2019 NFL draft. Taken sixth overall by New York, expectations were sky-high for the quarterback. However, his first few seasons in the NFL were nothing short of disastrous. Jones never reached 3,500 passing yards in a season, and his completion rate hovered 63%. He didn't have bad stats, but it was hard to justify taking a quarterback of his caliber that early into the draft.
However, there was one season in particular that gave fans hope that he could have something more to give. In 2022, Jones had a bit of a breakout season with Brian Daboll as his new head coach. Jones notched 3,205 passing yards on a then-career-high 67.2% completion rate. He threw fifteen touchdowns to just five interceptions, and added 708 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. While the Giants' success that season was mostly chalked up to Saquon Barkley's elite running, Jones' improved passing played a key part in their winning ways too.
However, Jones was never able to recreate the magic of the 2022 season again. He struggled with injuries in his last two seasons, and he also wasn't that good when he was healthy. His completion rate would plummet back down to 63.3% and his TD-INT ratio went from 3.0 to 1.3. He was eventually released by the Giants last season after another dismal injury-riddled season. He was signed to the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad during the year, but was picked up by the Colts in the offseason.
A return to form
This season, Jones has been on fire in the last two games. His Colts debut was electric: a 75.6% completion rate for 272 passing yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, and two rushing touchdowns. However, he faced a lackluster Miami Dolphins defense. Because of that, fans still doubted Jones' performance, chalking it up to him looking good against a bad defense.
There were signs that Jones' Week 1 game wasn't a fluke: even against a bad defense, a “bad” quarterback would put up mediocre numbers. The Colts quarterback made sure to shut up the naysayers in Week 2. A matchup against one of the best defensive teams in the NFL in the Denver Broncos would show just how good Daniel Jones is. As it turns out, he might just be the real deal.
Jones attempted 34 passes and completed 23 of them for a 67.6% completion rate, notching 316 passing yards and one touchdown. Even against Denver's tough defense, Jones was able to put the Colts in position to win a close contest against the Broncos.
There are many reasons behind Jones' improved form this season. The Colts have had one of the best offensive lines in the league for the last few years. With Jones having a clean pocket, the Colts quarterback is able to show off his accuracy. Credit also goes to head coach Shane Steichen, who's crafted a scheme that leverages Jones' strengths and pairs them with their existing threats (a threatening run game with Jonathan Taylor).
Above all else, though, Jones deserves a ton of credit for working on improving his game even after the setback. Other quarterbacks might have folded after being cut, especially after being such a high draft pick. Jones kept at it, though, and was able to put himself in a position to capitalize on his team's strengths.
Hopefully, Jones keeps up this resurgence over the course of the season. The league is better when there are many good quarterbacks, after all.
