The Indianapolis Colts have decided to run it back with youth at the cornerback position, much to the chagrin of fans that have been clamoring for a veteran upgrade all offseason.
Second year cornerback JuJu Brents is set to be the starter on one side of the field while veteran playmaker Kenny Moore II will be the opposite starter in base defense and the slot cornerback in nickel/dime looks. The only spot undecided at the moment is the other outside starting cornerback in those nickel/dime personnel sets.
The two prime candidates for this role at the moment are Dallis Flowers and Jaylon Jones. Jones appears to have a slight leg up at the moment based off of minicamp rotations, but this camp battle could go either way this offseason.
With Training Camp starting up later this week, let's dive into this intriguing camp battle and predict which player emerges victorious by the end of it.
Dallis Flowers
Flowers is one of the few veterans in the Colts' cornerback room, as he joins just Moore II and Chris Lammons as the only players in the room with more than two years spent in the NFL. Flowers is entering year three of his tenure with just 479 defensive snaps under his belt up to this point.
Flowers was the uncontested starting outside cornerback in camp last offseason, seeing the bulk of first team work alongside Darrell Baker Jr. on the outside. He carried over that offseason work into the regular season, where he appeared in every single defensive snap until the overtime against the Los Angeles Rams in week four.
In that game against the Rams, Flowers suffered a season-ending achilles injury at the tail end of overtime. Adding further insult to injury, Flowers was enjoying the best day of his NFL career, as he totaled two pass breakups and a tackle for a loss in that outing.
While Flowers only saw the field for 304 total defensive snaps last season, he was aruably the Colts' best cornerback statistically. His 17% forced incompletion rate was tied for the highest on the team and he was one of just two corners to hold opposing quarterbacks to passer rating under 100 when targeted on the year. His 70.6 coverage grade was also second on the team behind just Moore II according to Pro Football Focus.
The sample size may have been small, but Flowers improved every start last season and was beginning to look like a legit outside starter prior to his unfortunate injury.
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Jaylon Jones
Jones was the Colts' seventh round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. He spent most of last offseason in a second string role, but injuries to both Brents and Flowers led to increased playing time for the rookie in year one. His 475 defensive snaps played last season ranked second among cornerbacks on the roster as a result.
Jones certainly had his ups and his downs for a rookie, but he kept a lot of the damage around him controlled on the outside. Opposing quarterbacks had a 54.4% completion percentage when targeting him last season, which was by far and away the best in the cornerback room. He also kept yards after catch to a minimum, allowing just 57 total yards after reception on the year.
Another added bonus to Jones' game is his youth. He recently just turned 22, despite starting three years at the college level and spending most of last season as a starter for the Colts. He has played a lot of football for his age, and there is presumably still some room to grow for the young player. His age compared to Flowers (27 years old) may be one of the bigger factors in deciding this race if the play on the field is remotely close.
Who Wins this Battle?
The cornerback battle between Jones and Flowers may be the tightest one on the roster this offseason, but I personally think Flowers will win out in the end (as long as he is fully recovered from that achilles injury from last season).
Jones' age is intriguing, and he certainly improved late last season, but Flowers simply matches up better stylistically with Brents than Jones does on the outside. Flowers has the long speed that the other Colts' cornerbacks lack, and this could help the team roll coverage over top of Brents instead of having to worry about both sides of the field.
Both players will obviously see the field next season regardless of the outcome of this battle, but Flowers has my vote prior to Training Camp kicking off. This intense battle should be one of the bigger talking points in camp, though, and it'll be interesting to see how it all unfolds in the coming month.
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