From Bust to Breakout: How Daniel Jones Is Reviving His Career
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Frank Ammirante
- September 18, 2025
The Indianapolis Colts have been one of the biggest surprises in the early stages of the 2025 NFL season. Not only did they blow out the Miami Dolphins, but they also knocked off the Denver Broncos, who are widely considered to be among the rising juggernauts in the AFC.
The biggest key to the Colts’ emergence has been their offense, which has impressively avoided punts in both games so far. While usual suspects like running back Jonathan Taylor are playing well, the biggest key to this high-scoring group has been new starting quarterback, Daniel Jones.
After looking like one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL for the last couple of seasons, Jones has found new life in Indianapolis, where a new nickname has been born: Indiana Jones. Jones has led this team on quite a roll, which has led to a big move in Super Bowl odds, moving from an opening line of +10000 to +5000.
The Impact of Good Coaching
Jones’ resurgence highlights how important good coaching can be on a quarterback’s development.
Colts’ head coach Shane Steichen has proven himself as an excellent quarterback developer throughout his time in the league. After helping out Justin Herbert while with the Chargers and Jalen Hurts as Eagles’ offensive coordinator, Steichen brought out the best in Gardner Minshew in his first year as Colts’ head coach.
While former first-rounder Anthony Richardson wasn’t a good fit, Jones has proven to be the opposite.
Through two games, Jones is completing over 70 percent of his passes while averaging over nine yards per attempt and adding three touchdowns on the ground.
Steichen’s scheme is tailored to Jones’ strengths as a mobile and athletic passer.
There are run-pass options, which deceives the defense, allowing for quick dumpoffs to rookie tight end Tyler Warren, who is terrific at generating yards after the catch.
The team also isn’t afraid to take deep shots downfield to Alec Pierce, while both Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs underneath.
Steichen is doing a great job allowing Jones to use his legs in the red zone as well, where he already has three touchdowns.
So, here we have a quarterback who looked unlikely to ever start again, looking like an MVP candidate after two games. The impact of coaching on quarterback play can never be overstated.
The Colts have another winnable matchup on tap against the Tennessee Titans in Week 3, as this is a struggling offense under rookie quarterback Cam Ward. You can still get Colts -3.5 at BetOnline at the time of this article.
While a Super Bowl is likely out of reach, it’s not out of the question to take the Colts to win the AFC South, Steichen to win Coach of the Year, or even Jones to win NFL MVP. Take a look at the top offshore sportsbooks to find the best odds. You can also look at our NFL player futures odds page to find value on these props.
Other Former Bust Quarterbacks Boosted by Strong Coaching
If you’re still skeptical about Jones with Steichen in Indianapolis, consider how many other recent examples we have of quarterbacks formerly considered as busts but boosted by terrific coaching:
- Sam Darnold revived his career in Minnesota with Kevin O’Connell at head coach.
- Baker Mayfield got back on track in his first year with the Buccaneers with Dave Canales at the helm.
- Rich Gannon finally got going with the Raiders when he played for Jon Gruden.
With that in mind, don’t be surprised to see Jones sustain this success under Steichen’s tutelage, at least for the rest of this season.
