Colts teammates on QB Daniel Jones playing with a fractured fibula

INDIANAPOLIS – Colts coach Shane Steichen noticed it earlier this month.

Within moments of the big hit in Berlin against the Atlanta Falcons, the NFL Network-watching public noticed plain-as-day Daniel Jones running the No. 1 offense in the league in a late-game, high-pressure situation with a bloody mouth that had the Colts quarterback looking like demon.

“He didn’t say a word," Steichen said. "He just kept playing. That’s part of it. That’s part of his toughness. That’s part of his grittiness, and he just keeps fighting.”

A fractured fibula – reported Thursday by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport as the specifics of Jones’ lingering injury, facts still unconfirmed by Steichen or the Colts organization a day later – is a bit more to play through. Questions about Jones’ mobility Sunday at Kansas City turned into clear evidence during Thursday’s open portion of practice of a quarterback whose fluidity and burst weren’t 100%, there’s zero question of whether the Colts starting quarterback will be the man under center for Indianapolis’ late-season push.

“Talking to our trainers, doctors and Daniel himself, we’d never put him out there if we thought something could go wrong there. He’s cleared to play and good to go, and he wants to play,” Steichen told reporters Friday after the team’s final practice of the week ahead of Sunday’s divisional matchup at home with the Houston Texans – the owners of, statistically-speaking, the best defense in the league in 2025.

“He’s ready to go. He’s like, ‘I’m playing.’ We rely on the medical staff, and they said he’s good to go. He wants to play.”

That no nonsense attitude coming from a quarterback who’s been no stranger to injury throughout his seven-year NFL career – Jones had played in just 70.7% of his possible career games when he signed with the Colts in March after the sixth-overall pick from 2019 was cut by the Giants last November – hasn’t gone unnoticed in the locker room, his teammates said.

“He’s a tough guy, and I think we all see that,” Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce told IndyStar on Friday of his injured quarterback. “I think this puts it into perspective right now. We’ve all got our little bumps and bruises going on, but you’d be like, ‘Well, see what he’s going through?’

“It’s like, ‘Man, I can play through what I’ve got.’ I think that’s a real good showing of leadership with what he’s doing, and it’s something we can all kinda use to inspire us.”

Jones initially popped up on the Colts’ injury report last Thursday with what was initially said to be a calf injury. That Friday, Steichen clarified that Jones was dealing with a fibula injury, though he declined then and several times since to discuss any specifics around the ailment. Jones helped propel the Colts offense to a 20-9 lead over Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead but withered down the stretch, finishing the game 4-for-13 through the air, leading an offense that failed to log a single first down across four combined possessions in the fourth quarter and overtime as defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unit ramped up the pressure.

In a couple moments rushing the ball, Jones appeared less than 100% and seemed to throw off his backfoot frequently and rush some throws down the stretch, but the Colts starting QB told reporters after the game his injury was “good enough to play” and Steichen has said since that Jones’ injury has not and will not, he believes, force the Colts head coach to call plays or scheme for opponents any differently than he otherwise would.

He added Friday that with quarterback Anthony Richardson still on IR as he heals his fractured orbital bone suffered more than a month ago, rookie QB Riley Leonard will continue to be the team’s backup Sunday, and the Colts have no plans to activate veteran quarterback Brett Rypien from the practice squad as any sort of added insurance, should Jones’ injury flare up.

There’s belief, Steichen said, that his starting quarterback’s reportedly fractured fibula can heal even as he continues to play, insinuating that the only question around Jones’ playing time would come down to pain tolerance.

“I don’t think anyone in here’s really surprised. This just kinda shows the type of guy (Daniel) is. And more than just a quarterback, he’s just a really tough football player,” rookie tight end Tyler Warren told IndyStar. “I don’t think any of us are surprised, but it sends a great message to our offense and the team (as a whole), knowing that he’s got our backs and we’ve got his.”

Said starting right guard Matt Goncalves: “We see that, and we’re going to battle for him while he’s battling for us. We respect it.”

Pierce said he began to notice his quarterback’s gritty nature in the offseason and in training camp while going through cardio work meant to break down players to the brink of exhaustion.

Jones was frequently one of the last players still standing while continuing to produce quality reps through it all, too.

“I feel like even just in the little stuff, he’s very competitive,” Pierce said. “We do these cardio things, and it really starts to hurt when you’re pushing your body to the limit, and he’s always one of those guys that’s up there at the top.

“I kinda noticed it earlier this summer. He’ll do whatever it takes to win and take his body to the extremes, and I really respect that.”

Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Daniel Jones injury update: Colts teammates on their quarterback