Colts QB Daniel Jones takes another significant step in his way back from torn Achilles tendon

INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones was cleared to participate in seven-on-seven drills Monday, marking yet another significant step in his comeback from a torn right Achilles tendon.

Coach Shane Steichen hinted last week Jones' workload may increase during this week's workouts. Jones has been throwing throughout Indy's offseason team activities, which began in April. Throughout the process, Jones has made steady progress though he's not expected to do full-team workouts until players report to training camp in July.

“To get him out there in seven-on-seven was huge, to get him in the fold, running plays with the guys,” Steichen said. “We'll keep that trend going, probably through the end of OTAs and then, obviously, get him into team stuff at training camp. It's spring, we don't play for a while, so we've got to be smart with his injury. But he's making great progress.”

Jones has not played since early December when he suffered the injury during a loss at Jacksonville. He also was playing with a broken bone in his left leg.

The two injuries derailed the Colts' strong start. He wasn't the same after the leg injury and he missed the rest of the season after getting hurt against the Jaguars.

Jones spoke with reporters last week, but was not available Monday.

“You just feel more a part of it, I think, prepping for practice and the meetings, being a part of the walkthroughs, kind of going through the plays, being back there with the quarterbacks talking through things,” Jones said last Wednesday. "It just feels more like you’re back in the swing of things and back a part of it. So, it’s been good this week to be back.”

The Colts continue to believe Jones is on schedule, perhaps even slightly ahead of schedule, in his recovery and remain hopeful the former Duke star and New York Giants draft pick will start the Sept. 13 season opener against Baltimore.

Jones also believes he'll be ready for Week 1 after signing a two-year contract extension worth up to $100 million in March.

But the depth chart behind Jones remains clouded.

Steichen reiterated Monday that Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2023, and Riley Leonard, a late-round pick in 2025, continue to share the snaps with Indy's starting offense while Jones sits out. Richardson and Leonard are competing to be Jones' backup.

Longtime Los Angeles Chargers backup Easton Stick joined the mix Monday when Indy signed the free agent and released Seth Henigan. Steichen served as the Chargers quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for two of the six seasons Stick was with Los Angeles. Stick was with the Atlanta Falcons last year.

“We wanted to get him in, get him up to speed with everything, a really good competitor,” Steichen said while describing Stick. “He's really smart, has some familiarity with the offense. Obviously, things have changed, but we'll get him in here, get him up to speed and see where it goes.”

And they'll keep monitoring Jones, too.

“He's been throwing routes with the guys and we're telling him ‘Don’t scramble, it's seven-on-seven, be smart in these situations, if it's not there throw it out of bounds or if you want to drop it on the ground, I'm good with that,'" Steichen said. “But, yeah, he looked good out there today.”