Like almost every NFL team, the Indianapolis Colts have some position groups that are immensely talented and others that are not. Indy's depth at wide receiver, for instance? Iffy. But cornerback is loaded, and that could mean that veteran Jaylon Jones might struggle to make the active 53-man roster.
Jones is entering his fourth season, and he was a full-time starter in his first two seasons. He wasn't awful, either. In 2024, his quarterback rating allowed was 85.8, and he gave up just one touchdown pass while intercepting two and breaking up 10 other passes. His missed tackle rate was 13.4 percent, but that isn't atrocious for a cornerback.
In 2025, though, he suffered a hamstring injury in training camp and aggravated the issue ahead of Week 1. Jones was eventually placed on injured reserve and missed seven games. Once he returned for Week 9, he had no real path to starting long-term because the team soon traded for Sauce Gardner.
Indianapolis Colts veteran Jaylon Jones might have difficulty making the 53-man roster
Entering 2026, Indianapolis still has Gardner and fellow starter Charvarius Ward, and the team also signed Cam Taylor-Britt in free agency. Taylor-Britt has experience working in defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's system when both were with the Cincinnati Bengals. That could be enough to give him the advantage in a roster battle over Jones.
Mekhi Blackmon might also have the advantage over Jones, but mostly because in Anarumo's first season with the Colts, Anarumo didn't seem to have a lot of faith in playing him. Jones only started two games and was awful in both.
Besides those starts in Weeks 9 and 14 (Sauce Gardner missed Week 14 due to a calf strain, so Jones played with the first team), the three-year veteran had five games where he saw five or fewer defensive reps. He wasn't helped by allowing eight of his 11 targets to be completed in Weeks 9 and 14, for 103 yards and a touchdown. He didn't have any interceptions or pass break-ups.
The Indianapolis Colts could keep up to six cornerbacks, and Ward, Gardner, and nickelback Justin Walley are locks for three of those spots. Taylor-Britt and Blackmon will probably get two of the remaining three.
The final spot, assuming Indy does keep six corners, could come down to Jonathan Edwards and Jaylon Jones. Edwards definitely hasn't proven to be a top-flight corner, but he is quite good on special teams. A cornerback buried on the depth chart needs to be excellent in the third phase of the game, and Edwards can be while Jones is iffy.
If the Colts choose to move on from Jones, he likely will find another team. He's got great size at 6'2" and 200 pounds, and he's good in run support. A team like the Seattle Seahawks could use him better than Indy. While Jones might struggle to make Indianapolis' roster, he probably isn't done playing in the NFL.
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