Indianapolis, IN
Why former starting CB Jaylon Jones is buried on Colts depth chart
INDIANAPOLIS — The fall Jaylon Jones has taken down the Colts depth chart has been one of the most surprising developments of this season.
Jones, a full-time starter in his first two years in Indianapolis, played only four defensive snaps against the 49ers on Monday, a night when Jones was the team’s clear-cut fifth cornerback despite injuries to Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward.
Monday night’s game was the fourth time in seven games that Jones has played fewer than five snaps, and from the sounds of it, even an abysmal defensive performance that hemorrhaged 440 yards and 41 points is no guarantee that Jones will be elevated on the depth chart for this week’s game against Jacksonville.
“We evaluate each guy each week, and certainly, everything will be up at that position to be evaluated going forward,” defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said. “We’ll look at all avenues.”
The team’s reluctance to play Jones stems from a hamstring injury that plagued the third-year cornerback throughout the summer.
Jones first suffered the hamstring injury during organized team activities in the summer, injured it again a couple of days into training camp and pulled it significantly again in the season opener, robbing Jones of precious time to learn how he fits in Anarumo’s scheme.
“Obviously, starting the year with the injury kind of set him back,” Colts defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson said. “If we would have had him throughout all of training camp and continuing to play, obviously, I think he plays better.”
Jones has never been through an injury like that one.
He dealt with a significant hamstring injury in college that forced him to miss the first two games of a season, but Jones had never missed that much time before.
The experience taught him something.
“Trusting my process, man, understanding I need to do all the right things, make sure my body’s ready to go and I’m available,” Jones said. “A learning experience.”
The time in the training room seems to have driven a wedge between Jones and the field. Jones has played 149 defensive snaps in seven games this season, starting against Pittsburgh and Jacksonville, but he hasn’t been able to hold onto that spot consistently. In those snaps, Jones has limited opponents to 9 of 18 passing for 117 yards, a touchdown and an 89.4 rating when he’s the nearest defender in coverage, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
But Indianapolis has consistently chosen trade pickup Mekhi Blackmon over Jones in a pinch; now, undrafted rookie Johnathan Edwards and street free agent Cameron Mitchell have passed a player who started 27 games the past two seasons and played 1,932 snaps for the Colts. Of those three, only Blackmon has a better rating against him than Jones (88.4) and he’s given up a higher completion rate.
Henderson rebuffed a question last week about whether Jones is a poor fit for Anarumo’s defense.
“None of them are perfect,” Henderson said. “Even the best ones have things in their game you wish you could tweak and change. … You try to grow them in the area he needs to grow, keep him confident in the areas that he’s really good at. If he’s in, use him to his strengths.”
Indianapolis believes the 6-2, 200-pound Jones is best suited to playing against tight ends.
“He’s doing well in the role that he plays,” Henderson said. “He’s going to go guard the really good tight end pass-catchers in this league.”
From a philosophical standpoint, the role sounds weighty, particularly for an Indianapolis defense that has given up the second-most yards in the NFL to tight ends this season.
Practically, Jones is playing more of a bit part.
Anarumo has talked a lot about getting more defensive backs onto the field to avoid pitting a tight end against linebackers regularly, and Jones seems to be the perfect solution.
Except that the Colts actually reserve those looks for a handful of passing situations each game. If a team attacks Indianapolis on first or second down, an opposing tight end is often looking for holes in the zone against Colts linebackers Zaire Franklin and Germaine Pratt.
“We don’t go into any game looking at linebackers covering tight ends at all,” Anarumo said. “Our deal is to try to match up, and that would be more in the true passing situations. … That was a little bit of the predicament last night.”
Jones is handling his reduced role without complaining publicly.
He has tried to focus on his own game, rather than the decisions that have kept him on the sidelein.
“Looking in the mirror, being consistent within myself, within my game,” Jones said. “Once I do that, I think it takes care of everything else. … Being consistent with my process, zoning in on the little details. I’m just happy doing my role, playing my role, trying to help my team win games.”
But it has not been easy.
“In moments like this, just growing,” Jones said. “I think I became more of a man this year, just because there’s going to be adversity in the road, there’s going to be bumps in the road, things like that, but I’m just doing my role, doing what I can for this team so we can win games.”
Even though it’s hard to play a big role in a team’s wins or losses when a cornerback spends all but a handful of snaps on the sideline.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
José Plasencia brings Cuban cuisine to Fountain Square’s Inferno Room
Cuban food never got the opportunity to evolve. Now at the Inferno Room, José Plasencia is giving his homeland cuisine a second chance.
A standout burger can come from unexpected places, as evidenced by one Indianapolis restaurant whose unconventional take on the American classic has earned it a spot on a national USA Today list.
There’s only one burger on the menu at the recently reimagined Inferno Room in Fountain Square, but it’s a good one.
Chef José Plasencia’s rendition of the Cuban frita, a beef-chorizo burger defined by a topping of fried shoestring potatoes, joined heavy hitters from across the country on USA TODAY’s pantheon of patties.
The USA Today list included places like Mr. Bartley’s Burgers, a veritable institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts as well as Jay’s Burgers in Louisville and Sacred Beast in Cincinnati.
Indianapolis’ best-known burger spot, the more than century-old Workingman’s Friend, did not make the national list but appeared alongside the Inferno Room on USA TODAY’s roundup of exemplary Midwest burgers. Both were featured on IndyStar’s list of 10 burgers to try around town.
FISHERS, Ind. — Two Indianapolis teens were arrested after an alleged armed carjacking at a Fishers IHOP.
In a post on Facebook, the Fishers Police Department indicated that its officers were called to the IHOP restaurant located at 9750 North by Northeast Boulevard around 10:39 p.m. Monday to investigate a reported carjacking. After they arrived at the scene, which was located just north of East 96th Street, police determined two suspects had pointed a firearm at a food delivery driver and demanded that they hand over the keys to their car.
After the victim gave up the keys to their car, the suspects fled the scene. FPD reported that the victim was not harmed during their encounter with the suspects.
Police told FOX59/CBS4 that the alleged carjacking appeared to be a crime of opportunity. Investigators believe the suspects saw the delivery driver picking up food at IHOP and took advantage of the opportunity to steal a car.
During their investigation of the alleged carjacking, police reviewed Flock camera data and determined the suspects had driven toward Binford Boulevard after they fled the IHOP. Investigators ultimately tracked the suspects to an apartment complex in Indianapolis.
Law enforcement found the victim’s vehicle in the parking lot of the apartment complex in question. The car was unoccupied when police located it.
FPD ultimately arrested the suspects after receiving a search warrant. Fishers police received assistance with the arrest from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s violent crimes task force and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s K-9 and special weapons and tactics (SWAT) units.
Investigators determined the two individuals they arrested in Indianapolis were the suspects implicated in the carjacking via surveillance video. Per FPD, the video confirmed that the suspects were wearing the same clothes during both their arrests and the alleged carjacking.
Police recovered more of the victim’s personal items from their car once they located it. Officers also found the firearm that the suspects allegedly used during the incident. FPD reported that the gun the suspects used during the alleged carjacking had an extended magazine.
Investigators identified one of the suspects as 18-year-old Khalil Glover. The other suspect is a 17-year-old male. FPD did not publicly release the juvenile suspect’s name.
Glover faces the following formal charges:
- Armed robbery — A Level 3 Felony
- Pointing a firearm at another — a Level 6 Felony
- Auto theft — a Level 6 Felony
- Theft where the value of the property stolen is between $750 and $50,000
It is currently unclear if the juvenile implicated in the alleged carjacking will be officially charged as an adult. FPD arrested him on the following preliminary charges:
- Armed robbery — a Level 3 Felony
- Pointing a firearm — a Level 6 Felony
- Auto theft — a Level 6 Felony
- Theft — a Level 6 Felony
- Unlawful carrying of a handgun — a Class A Misdemeanor
Glover and the juvenile suspect were both transported to the Hamilton County jail following their arrests. FPD indicated that, during its interview with Glover, he admitted that he and the juvenile had participated in a robbery. Police have not clarified whether it was Glover or the juvenile who pointed the gun at the victim during the alleged carjacking.
“When someone in our city, whether a resident or someone visiting is victimized, we take it personal,” Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart said via release. “We will use all our resources, all our people, and all our partnerships to find criminals and hold them accountable. Technology helps us, but it’s just a tool for good, old-fashioned police work to take place. I’m extremely proud of our team and our ability to work with our law enforcement partners.”
In recent years, the Indianapolis Colts have taken pride in their offensive line. It only took derailing Andrew Luck’s career for general manager Chris Ballard to realize that he needed to bolster the trenches to protect the quarterback.
Despite some minor turnaround between seasons, the Colts’ line has held its ground for the most part. That has helped Jonathan Taylor establish himself as one of the most underrated players in the game.
Considering that, Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski chose center Tanor Bartolini as the Colts’ best-kept secret. In his latest column, he gushed about how he was a seamless replacement for Ryan Kelly and how crucial he’ll be for Shane Steichen’s team.
The Indianapolis Colts need Tanor Bartolini to take another step in 2026
“After one full season as a starter, the Indianapolis Colts’ Tanor Bortolini has established himself as one of the game’s best centers already,” Sobleski wrote. “The Colts eased Bortolini into the lineup as a rookie, because Ryan Kelly was still on the team. With Kelly leaving last offseason, Bortolini was asked to take over the spot and excelled.”
Standing at 6’4″ and 310 pounds, Bartolini has the prototypical body of an NFL center. However, he’s light on his feet and much more athletic than the average center, though his shorter arms limited as a pass-blocker. He has a strong technique and has the potential to be one of the best run zone-blockers in the game.
Pro Football Focus (subscription required) gave him an 82.6 overall grade, which ranked 3rd among 40 eligible players at the position; not so bad for a 23-year-old in his first full season as a starter. He was slightly above average in pass protection (66.2, 16th), but he was absolutely elite for the running game (88.2, 3rd).
Bartolini allowed just 17 pressures, including five hits, in 937 total snaps played. He didn’t allow a single sack, though he was called for four penalties, which is something he’ll clean up with more reps under his belt.
The Colts enter this season with more questions than answers on offense. They have fewer weapons for the passing game now that Michael Pittman Jr. is gone, and with Daniel Jones coming off a major injury, keeping a clean pocket will be paramount for Shane Steichen’s team.
Likewise, this team will have a better shot at success the more they get Jonathan Taylor involved. Bartolini’s ability to climb and move in open space will come in handy in 2026, and having him play at the same level — if not better — than he did last season could be the difference between a playoff spot and watching the postseason from home again.
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