Indianapolis Colts cornerback Jaylon Jones suffered a hamstring injury early in the season and was activated from injured reserve on November 1st. After having a solid 2024 campaign, Jones is just one of several on the defensive side of the ball for Indianapolis to go down with an injury.
Recently, the Colts' defense continued to prove to be less than formidable in a road game that saw the Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Colts. Indianapolis traded for star cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, who added the playmaker that this Colts defense was lacking.
There is a looming decision to be made regarding fellow CB Charvarius "Mooney" Ward regarding his return from injured reserve as well. Ward was brought in during free agency to solidify the Colts' secondary. This decision may play a large part in deciding the fate of Jaylon Jones' job security.
Experience is what the Indianapolis Colts need on defense
Ward is a solid cornerback in his own right, bringing Super Bowl experience with him from his days with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. Should Indianapolis activate him for Week 12, Jones will certainly see his role diminish even further than it already has.
It is this playoff experience from Ward that will prove invaluable coming out of the bye week and in the stretch run of the 2025 NFL season. The Colts will need to keep as much experience on the field as possible if they hope to secure the AFC South division title and, possibly, the top seed in the AFC playoffs.
That's not to say Jones isn't deserving of playing time. He showed what he can do in the 2024 NFL season when he started all 17 games for the Colts and was responsible for, in whole or in part, 100 tackles. Jones added 12 passes defensed to his stats for that season as well.
Add to all of this the fact that Mekhi Blackmon has performed well in the absence of Jones (45 combined tackles and two interceptions), and it's easy to see why Jaylon Jones may not have much job security on this Indianapolis Colts defense.