The Indianapolis Colts' revolving door at quarterback has to stop at one point. If last season was any indication, it looks like Daniel Jones, of all people, was the chosen one to finally carry Andrew Luck's torch and end the curse once and for all.
However, since it couldn't have been any different, this solution had to come with its fair share of drama. Daniel Jones was great in the first half of the season and spent most of the second half out with a major injury, so there's no telling which version of him he'll be in 2026.
Considering that, Alex Ballantine of Bleacher Report gave the Colts a 4 out of 10 in his quarterback Panic Meter scale. Essentially, bringing back Jones could either be the answer to their prayers or yet another swing-and-miss.
Daniel Jones will make or break the Indianapolis Colts' season
"If he had stayed healthy and maintained that over a full season, the Colts could be hovering close to a 1 on the panic meter," Ballantine wrote. "...If he recovers from his Achilles and picks up where he left off, then the Colts are in good shape. But if there's a slower recovery process than expected or he regresses then the Colts are still in a tenuous quarterback situation."
Football is a team sport first and foremost, but this is probably the most quarterback-centric era in NFL history. More than that, as much as he needs all bolts and nuts to stay in place to get the team on track, quarterback is still the most important position in all team sports.
Jones has been a bit of a mixed bag, but history has shown that it's hard to judge a player who was stuck in a bad situation for a long time. Chances are that no one would've done much better than him with the New York Giants with that offensive line, those weapons, and that general manager.
His physical tools and a limited sample size with Shane Steichen surely granted him the benefit of the doubt.
That said, this team is putting all its eggs in the Daniel Jones basket right now. That's why they traded two first-round picks to get him a shutdown corner in Sauce Gardner, and why they made him their top priority for their offseason. Technically, they can always move on from him after one year if he struggles in 2026, but there might be much more at stake this time.
This regime isn't going to survive another quarterback change. Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard will both be unemployed if this doesn't work out, and with a shortage of draft capital this offseason and young talent on the roster, that would set the table for a full-scale overhaul.
The future of this project essentially rests on the shoulders of an unproven quarterback coming off a major injury who has alternated breathtaking throws with head-scratching lowlights. That might be a bit more than a four on the panic meter.