Most essential Colts No. 12: Daniel Jones is one polarizing player to rank

In a salary-cap league like the NFL, finding building blocks is essential.

As teams churn and burn the roster through the draft and bargain signings in free agency, it helps to find the players who are either a cut above the rest or can perform a task few others can.

They relieve the pressure on everyone.Over the next few weeks, we'll be ranking the 15 most essential players to the Colts' success entering the 2025 season.

It's a subjective process, weighing factors such as ability, positional value within a scheme, age, leadership and durability.To make it simpler, we're asking the following two questions about these players:1.

How difficult would he be to replace for more than a month?2.

What does the Colts' ceiling become in 2025 and beyond if this player hits his?Unlike in recent seasons, the pressure appears to be ramping up on what this years Colts team needs to accomplish.

Anthony Richardson enters a critical third season with plenty to prove.

The team is under new ownership with Jim Irsays passing and the transition to his three daughters.

And the Colts have now not made the playoffs for four seasons, with no playoff wins in six and no AFC South titles in 10.Thus, these rankings will skew a little more toward 2025 importance than they have in recent seasons.Here's the list so far:13.

Kenny Moore II, cornerback14.

Zaire Franklin, linebacker15.

Alec Pierce, wide receiverUp next is No.

12, Daniel Jones.Position: QuarterbackAge: 28Experience: 7th seasonLast year's rank: N/A2024 stats: Threw for 2,070 yards on 6.1 yards per attempt with 63.3% completions for 8 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in 10 starts in 10 games for the Giants.Why he's here: This list will not have a more polarizing and difficult to rank option than Daniel Jones.The seventh-year pro was the type of quarterback that GM Chris Ballard promised to sign this offseason, with experience and a base line, and the traits to come in and compete with Anthony Richardson, while also filling in for him if and when he has to miss time.

Jones checks all of those boxes, but ranking him based on what he can be, what he needs to be and what he will be is one confusing act.If Jones wins the Week 1 starting role, all of a sudden he's a very important player to 2025 success by virtue of playing the most important position.

If he doesn't, and Richardson excels, he'll merely be a backup who pushed Richardson -- which is important, just not with much week-to-week impact.The odds are that Jones is going to play this season and likely quite a bit.

Richardson is dealing with another injury to the AC joint he had surgically repaired two years ago.

Even if he's able to bounce back for training camp and win this job, history suggests he'll miss more time, as he's played just 15 of 34 games and has missed time to six different injuries.How much Jones plays this season is anyone's guess.

Because there's also the question of whether he can hold this job down if he wins it either for Week 1 or down the road.

After all, he, too, was benched for poor play last season.The Colts are banking on their supporting cast lifting up the former first-round pick in all the ways New York did not, from a stronger offensive line to actual wide receivers and a first-round rookie tight end.

Jonathan Taylor will be his Saquon Barkley, too.

Given Shane Steichen's track record with veteran quarterbacks, everything is there for Jones to turn in a career season.The question is what a career season even looks like for Jones, and what it truly does for the Colts.

In six seasons, he has never topped 6.8 yards per attempt in a league where 7.0 and above is considered good.

In 69 career starts, he has 70 touchdown passes.

A career season for Jones would be surpassing the 2022 season that got the Giants a playoff victory and Jones a monster extension.

That season, he threw for 3,205 yards and 15 touchdowns.His rushing helps, especially in a Colts offense designed for it at the quarterback position.

Jones showed some ceiling there with 708 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022.

But his main role here would be to elevate the passing game, and he plays more like a passer who needs to be elevated.The Colts are hoping they don't need to use Jones outside of a couple of spot starts, because their ceiling as a team and franchise are tied to Richardson's unearthly tools.

But they do have to prepare for the likelihood that those never come to light and the possibility that they get close to nothing out of them.Jones likely won't affect the ceiling in a big way, but he can raise the floor tremendously.Get IndyStar's Colts coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Colts Insider newsletter.This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts most essential No.

12: Daniel Jones is polarizing to rank.

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