Daniel Jones looked like a completely different quarterback once he entered Shane Steichen's system last season.

His legs paired with Jonathan Taylor's rushing ability and Alec Pierce's deep-threat presence created almost a perfect storm. For stretches, this offense looked unstoppable, and Jones was doing whatever he wanted with the football while still taking care of it.

Then came the Achilles tear.

Jones tore his right Achilles on Dec. 7 against Jacksonville, ending a career year in which he completed 68% of his passes for 3,101 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Just 280 days later, he was back under center for Week 1 against Baltimore.

And four games into his return, I think it is fair to start asking the question: Should the Colts be worried about Daniel Jones?

The Achilles Question

Nothing about Jones physically screams that Achilles is still bothering him.

He moved well throughout training camp, has shown he can escape the pocket and even scored his first rushing touchdown since the injury Sunday against Washington.

But we still haven't seen the same Daniel Jones who made defenses account for his legs every single play last season.

Jones rushed for 164 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games last year. Through four games this season, he has just 21 yards and one score.

Maybe that matters more than we realize.

An Achilles injury is brutal, especially for a quarterback whose athleticism was such an important part of what made this offense dangerous. Jones may technically be healthy, but expecting him to immediately have the same burst and confidence only nine months removed from surgery might not be completely fair.

We saw a version of this with Kirk Cousins after his Achilles tear. Cousins returned for Atlanta in 2024 and threw 16 interceptions in 14 games before eventually losing the starting job.

Obviously, that isn't a perfect comparison. Cousins was older and never had Jones' mobility to begin with.

But it does make me wonder how much an injury like this can impact a quarterback mentally, not just physically.

The Turnovers Have to Stop

This is where my true concerns begin.

Jones has already turned the ball over seven times through four games, throwing four interceptions and losing three fumbles. He had 11 total turnovers across 13 games last season.

That simply cannot continue, and against Washington, it wasn't only the turnovers.

Jones finished 19-of-34 for just 143 yards, and there were several opportunities where receivers were open and the throw simply wasn't accurate enough.

Could Jones be trying to compensate for some of those explosive plays he used to create with his legs by forcing more with his arm? Maybe.

That's impossible to know from the outside, but something is clearly different right now.

Still, I'm not ready to panic, Jones is four games removed from a long and grueling rehabilitation process. He deserves some time to rediscover the rhythm that made him so good in this offense last season.

I still believe Jones can play at an elite level in Indianapolis, but the ball security has to improve immediately.

And if we know anything about the quarterback Indianapolis saw last season, Jones is going to work relentlessly to get back to where he needs to be.

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