Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen reacts to an official's call Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Indianapolis Colts find themselves at 0-2 to start the young NFL season after a crushing 16-10 defeat to the Green Bay Packers and backup QB Malik Willis. While Anthony Richardson and the offense didn't play the best, they also only saw around 20 minutes of field time. It was the defense that looked all-around befuddled at what to do against the Packers and running back Josh Jacobs.
In a recent article detailing what all 32 NFL teams can do to improve their squad before week three and address weaknesses, Bleacher Report believes the Colts need to execute a trade for two-time New England Patriots Super Bowl cornerback, Jonathan Jones.
"Making a move for a veteran like Jonathan Jones could help them. Jones is a solid veteran cornerback who is in the final year of his contract with the Patriots. New England is not expected to be a factor this season. The Colts should call and see what it would take to add Jones to their roster and the Patriots could improve their 2025 draft stock."
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Jones has two Super Bowls with the Patriots (2017 and 2019) and has put together a solid career through nine years. Jones has 117 games (59 starts) and has tallied 389 tackles, 8 fumbles forced, 52 passes deflected, 11 interceptions, and a 55-yard defensive touchdown return. Last season Jones played 14 games for the Patriots (all starts) and had impressive coverage marks from Pro Football Focus of 75.1. He also showed great support in run defense with 74.0.
Jones can ball at 31 years old and might not command much to trade for. However, Indianapolis isn't in a position to give up any assets. Most of the offseason was spent on retaining pillars of the franchise like wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and linebacker Zaire Franklin (to name a few). Don't expect Indianapolis to fork over any capital to trade for the veteran cornerback, although it's not the worst idea since Jones likely has multiple seasons of great play left in the tank.
The Colts are moving forward with a banged up defensive backs group led by veteran Kenny Moore II and youngster Jaylon Jones in the absence of starter JuJu Brents (knee). If the Colts want to remain competitive for 2024, they must get a win against the Chicago Bears in week three and bounce back in run defense. Falling to 0-3 for any team nearly spells doom before the year gets going, look for the Colts to avoid this at all costs at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.