Can Daniel Jones Be “A” Guy?

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The Indianapolis Colts haven’t won a week one game since the Prodigal Son, Andrew Luck, was in his sophomore season with the team back in 2013. It has been twelve years since Colts fans have had a happy ride home after a week one game. Unless you count the uneasy ride home after the 2023 tie to the Houston Texans, which lets face it, every Colts fan wants to forget about anything that happened in 2023 for this team. That streak however, came to an end on the afternoon of September 7, 2025 with a 33–8 win over the Miami Dolphins. As an outsider seeing that final score come across the board they may say, “It looks like the Colts 4th overall pick quarterback, Anthony Richardson Sr., finally came through to get the Colts off to a winning start of the season.” Well thats not exactly what happened. The man under center for the Colts in that game was 2019 sixth overall pick by the New York Giants, Daniel Jones. Which has Colts fans asking, possibly even football fans, can Daniel Jones be “A” guy?

Now there is a difference between being “A” guy and “THE” guy when it comes to professional sports franchises. Being “A” guy means that you’re a player who has the skillset of being good at what you do and having just enough to get that job done. Being “THE” guy means that you’re a player who has the skillset of being great at what you do and going above and beyond to get the job done. It is a very similar argument to the, “Does this certain player deserve to be in the Hall of Very Good or Hall of Fame?” argument.

Since the retirement of Andrew Luck in 2019 the Colts have had a revolving door at the quarterback position and have lacked the stability in the position that any team needs. Fast-forward to 2025 the Daniel Jones door has been opened in Indianapolis, and it exceeded expectations. In his debut for the team, Jones completed 22/29 passes for 272 yards and 1 touchdown. He also had 7 carries for 26 yards and 2 touchdowns. This performance showed that he has the ability to have the constant play and ability to run the offense that head coach Shane Steichen preached after Jones was named starting quarterback during training camp. If this type of play continues for Jones it proves that he can be “A” guy that the Colts are looking for. Jones does lack the superstar reputation that some of the other quarterbacks in the league have, such as Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes who are “THE” guy for their respected franchises. Constant quarterback play is what the Colts and Shane Steichen have been looking to achieve for the last few years, and this year it is no different. The defense showed in week one that they can be a force against opposing offenses, and the playmakers that surround Jones showed they can play with opposing defenses.

If Jones can stay consistent with his quarterback play, the surrounding pieces should take care of themselves in a way and the Colts could be a successful team in 2025. You have to remember that this team was one dropped pass away from being a playoff team two years ago with Gardner Minshew at quarterback. Since then, the roster has mostly been made up of the same guys with the addition of upgrades at certain positions. Do I think that Daniel Jones is the answer to the Colts question for a franchise quarterback? I don’t know. Have I given up on Anthony Richardson? Absolutely not. But if Jones can put together games like he did against Miami, there is no reason he can’t be “A” guy that the Colts have been looking for to give them a taste of winning and consistent football back in Indianapolis.

-Cody Bauza