Colts' Jaylon Jones Solidifying Starting Cornerback Job in Camp

Indianapolis Colts' cornerback Jaylon Jones is all but assured to win the battle for outside cornerback two in Training Camp.

Indianapolis Colts cornerback Jaylon Jones (40) leaves the field Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, during a game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. / Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Indianapolis Colts entered Training Camp with a handful of spots/roles up for grabs in open competitions. With a little over a fourth of camp already in the books, the battle at outside cornerback two appears to be settled.

The Colts have insisted that there is an open competition for the second outside cornerback position this offseason, with second year cornerback JuJu Brents locked in as outside cornerback one and veteran Kenny Moore II sliding into the slot on passing downs. The two players competing for this role in camp up to this point have been Jaylon Jones and Dallis Flowers.

While the competition isn't officially over by any means, it appears to be Jones' job to lose at this point. Colts' beat reporter Jake Arthur spoke of this camp battle on the Locked on Colts podcast earlier this week and had this to say about the ongoing race for CB2:

"I think it’s Jaylon Jones’ job to lose. They’ve been rotating Jones and (Dallis) Flowers, but when the defense goes out there that you know is the starters, it’s Jaylon (Jones) every time. I think, at this point, that he played so much last year that Flowers is only going to get it if Jones loses it."

What happens next for the Colts? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Colts news delivered to your inbox daily!

Michael Pittman Jr. and Jaylon Jones just got in a really heated fight, throwing punches and all. They had to be pulled apart by teammates and coaches.

— Jake Arthur (@JakeArthurNFL) July 28, 2024

Jones, 22, was far from perfect as a rookie last season, but he performed admirably as a starter. He held opposing quarterbacks to a 54.4% completion percentage when targeted, which was by far and away the best among Colts' cornerbacks in 2023. He was also the best in the room at limiting yards after the catch and taking away downfield throws.

Colts' General Manager Chris Ballard has been one of Jones' biggest supporters since Training Camp last season and even had some high praise for the young player after the season back in January:

"I thought we got really good play out of (Jaylon) Jones, especially being a seventh (round pick). 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."

While Flowers may be the better option at the moment, it's hard to discount the difference in age between the two players. Jones just turned 22 years old and is coming off of a season where he started 13 games. Flowers is 27 years old, coming off of a major achilles injury, and has just four total starts under his belt in two years of NFL action.

The Colts' decision to lean on the development of Jones as the other outside starter could prove to be risky, but it certainly makes sense with the current age/youth of the team. The hope is that Jones can keep taking positive steps in his communication ability and his comfortability on defense and grow with the other young players on the roster.

Some Jaylon Jones positive clips in press/underneath zone coverage from last season pic.twitter.com/ue9Hf9FpQP

— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) July 21, 2024

Overall, it appears as though one camp battle for the Colts is all but wrapped up with Jaylon Jones getting the lion's share of the defensive snaps with the first team. The Colts still have a few other key positional groups to sort out (RB2, Swing OT, the entire TE room), but this one appears clear early in camp.

Need your fill on daily Colts' content? Head over to the Locked On Colts' YouTube channel where Jake Arthur and Zach Hicks hit on all the major topics surrounding this team. Hit that subscribe button while you are there!

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Facebook and X, and subscribe on YouTube for multiple Colts live-stream podcasts per week.