Veterans and rookies for the Indianapolis Colts will report for training camp on July 24th, with the first practice taking place on July 25th.
Between now and then I will be previewing the Colts’ 91-man roster with a look back at each player’s 2023 season, along with what’s ahead for 2024.
I’ll be going through the Colts’ roster alphabetically, so up next is cornerback Jaylon Jones. To stay up to date with our other previews, be sure to head over to Colts Wire.
2023 Season Review
Jones was one of the three cornerbacks selected by the Colts in 2023 and was the last one picked, being taking in the seventh round. However, with JuJu Brents dealing with injuries, and Darius Rush released during roster cutdowns, it was Jones who saw the most playing time.
Jones began his rookie season as a special teams contributor but was thrust into a starting role after Dallis Flowers suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. As noted on the team site, Jones would play at least 60 percent of the defensive snaps over the Colts’ final 13 games.
“The biggest thing for me has been trying to stay consistent and disciplined,” said Jones late last season via Horseshoe Huddle. “If I’m doing those two things, adding that to my God-given abilities, great things will continue happening for me.”
In coverage, Jones allowed a completion rate of just 54 percent on 57 targets, and did well to eliminate big plays on completions he did surrender, allowing only 10.6 yards per catch with five pass breakups. In fact, Jones 0.72 yards per coverage snap was the fourth lowest by a rookie in the last 10 years, according to PFF.
Opposing quarterbacks had an above average passer rating of 106.6 when targeted and was penalized six times, but overall, he laid a strong foundation during his first NFL season.
“He had some up and down moments,” general manager Chris Ballard said, “but I thought he played really well for the most part.”
2024 Season Preview
Jones is again going to have to earn his playing time for this upcoming season. Brents appears to be locked into one of the starting boundary cornerback roles, but the spot opposite of him is up for grabs.
Competing for that starting spot will be Jones and Flowers. Based on what was reported during offseason programs, it sounds like Jones has the early leg up in that competition, taking most of the starting reps over Flowers. However, as we all know, a lot can change once training camp begins and the pads come on.
“I think all those guys, obviously, we drafted two young guys, but I think with Jaylon Jones, Dallis, and JuJu, they’re long, rangy guys that are physical when they get up and press,” said Shane Steichen during minicamp.
“They got good vision. I love those guys. It’s a good room. A good competition there. It’s going to be a good competition, obviously, in minicamp and OTAs, but going into training camp is going to be big for all those guys.”
Given the overall performance from the secondary last season, GM Chris Ballard could have fairly easily justified adding to the cornerback room this offseason. However, the fact that he didn’t speaks volumes about how the Colts feel about this group internally.
We often here about the Year 2 leap that many successful NFL players make. It is this time between their rookie and sophomore seasons that players frequently make their biggest developmental leaps because of the experience gained, the continuity of being in the same system for a full year, along with having a full offseason to work on their craft rather than preparing for the draft.
After a solid rookie season, a jump in 2024 from Jones would go a long way in providing the Colts’ cornerback room and the secondary as a whole with some needed stability.
“I thought we got really good play out of Jones, especially being a seventh (round pick),” Ballard said via the team site. “I give Anthony (Coughlan), our scout in the southwest, all of the credit for Jones. All of it – he gets all of it.
“He pressed, he kept bugging me about it and finally I looked at him and said, ‘I’m taking him. If he stinks, it’s on you. I’ll take the blame for it, but you know it’s on you. If he’s great, you get all the credit.’ He gets all the credit because I think the kid is going to be a really good football player for us.”