Colts 'Should Be in Playoff Hunt,' But Counting On Daniel Jones

The Indianapolis Colts haven't made the playoffs since 2020, but you wouldn't get that vibe from those inside the building.

The team has always felt it was better than the versions that ultimately underperformed, especially after last season's second-half collapse.

The Colts began the season 8-2 but went 0-for-7 after the bye week, finishing 8-9 and missing the postseason for a fifth consecutive season.

The team feels they are much more a reflection of the early-season success rather than the team that crumbled, and the moves the Colts have made all offseason back that up.

Re-signing quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce were the top priority, and they traded off expensive veterans Michael Pittman Jr. and Zaire Franklin to allocate their money elsewhere, while also getting more explosive in key areas.

Regardless of the moves the Colts made, everything comes back to Jones and his healing right Achilles tendon, which ended his season prematurely.

READ MORE: Was Colts QB Daniel Jones' Resurgence Legit, or 'Blip?'

This week, NFL insider Albert Breer of SI.com provided a takeaway on where every team stands during the summer, and his take on the Colts ultimately revolves around Jones.

"Last year, the Colts went for broke at the trade deadline, dealing for Sauce Gardner with the team 7–2," Breer said. "Indianapolis won the following Sunday, then not again the rest of the year, with Daniel Jones’s torn Achilles a big part of the story.

"Now, Jones is coming back off the Achilles injury with a new contract, and a good, balanced team that should be in the playoff hunt is counting on him. The good news is Jones met all his marks this spring. And, I’m told, if things keep going the way they have, he’ll start working in team drills at the start of camp, which is a good sign for where he is."

In 2025, the Colts' successes and failures aligned with Jones' performance and in the end, his availability.

At 8-2, the team had the best record in the NFL, and Jones was playing the best ball of his career. However, when the team returned from the bye week, Jones was discovered to have a fractured left fibula. He played through it, but his compromised mobility left a negative impact on the offense. The team began to slide, and they lost the three starts Jones made while injured.

That third start, Week 14, is when the Achilles injury happened, and the team wouldn't win again during the season.

With Jones back, it gives the Colts a quick-strike quarterback who spreads the ball around. Despite Pittman's departure, the Colts are optimistic that Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, and Tyler Warren taking on a bigger workload is a significantly positive development.

Having running back Jonathan Taylor fresh off a 1,900-yard, 20-touchdown season behind an offensive line that experienced very little turnover is also a sizeable complement for Jones.

READ MORE: Colts Involved in Trade Rumor for Embattled Receiver

Other than Jones, the Colts are getting other critical players back from injury, such as defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward Sr.

The Colts' defense will be a huge wild card. They remade their linebacker corps with a younger, more explosive group, featuring rookies CJ Allen and Bryce Boettcher, as well as free-agent signee Akeem Davis-Gaither.

However, the defensive line is a mystery. Laiatu Latu is expected to take another jump, but the other starting edge opposite of him is unsettled as Arden Key and Jaylahn Tuimoloau battle to start.

One area that always plays an under-considered role is special teams. The Colts had to cycle through three kickers last year, as Spencer Shrader had a season-ending knee injury in Week 5, his replacement, Michael Badgley was cut after missing three extra point, and then Blake Grupe was signed and saved the day, not missing a kick in his five-game stretch in Indianapolis. Shrader and Grupe will now compete for the kicker role.