Injury updates on Colts' Daniel Jones, DeForest Buckner and others

In GM Chris Ballard's pre-draft press conference, he provided injury updates on several Indianapolis Colts players with offseason programs set to begin on Apr. 21.

Among the players mentioned was wide receiver Alec Pierce, who underwent offseason ankle surgery. For more on Pierce and what Ballard had to say, you can find that here.

Below are injury updates from Ballard on Daniel Jones, DeForest Buckner, and a few others.

Daniel Jones injury update

What Ballard had to say: "Progressing really well. He's throwing, he's moving, and so he's in a really good spot. Final timeline? I mean, we're all shooting for Week 1, for sure, but like, we'll kind of let his body dictate, but he's in a really good place and moving along."

Jones and the Colts' offense were off to red-hot starts last season. The Colts believe that the success that Jones and the team had can be replicated and sustained in 2026. Jones signed a two-year, $88 million deal this offseason. With incentives, it could be worth up to $100 million.

DeForest Buckner injury update

What Ballard had to say: "It'll be training camp, but he's in a really good spot. He'll start doing some plyometric stuff and movement stuff. So he's in a really good spot."

Buckner missed most of the second half of the 2025 season with a neck injury. He returned in Week 16 to face , but was placed on IR later that week. He then underwent surgery in early January. Compared to the defensive tackle position group league-wide, Buckner ranks 24th in pass rush win rate and 14th in run stop rate metric.