Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor and cornerback Jaylon Jones recently received a unique recognition.
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor and cornerback Jaylon Jones recently received a unique recognition.
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports selected the best player to wear each jersey number, 0-99, heading into the 2025 NFL season. Taylor was picked as the best player to wear No. 28 and Jones as the best to wear No. 40.
Taylor is coming off a season in which he was one of the most productive backs in the NFL, rushing for 1,431 yards–and doing so in only 14 games–which was the fourth-most in the league. He also was efficient, averaging 4.7 yards per carry.
“Raise your hand if you knew Taylor cruised past 1,400 rushing yards in 2024,” wrote Benjamin. “Maybe the Colts are just that forgettable lately. Regardless, he’s been an old-school workhorse when healthy.”
With that said, a new rushing metric indicates that Taylor could take a step back this upcoming season.
Jones, meanwhile, would start all 17 games last season for the Colts. He allowed a completion rate of 64.7% in coverage and surrendered 13.2 yards per catch. He had very good ball production, coming away with two interceptions and 10 pass breakups, while ranking 11th among all cornerbacks in forced incompletions, per PFF.
“The Colts just paid big bucks for Charvarius Ward to headline their secondary, but Jones has quietly logged two straight solid seasons on the perimeter to start his career, breaking up 12 passes in 2024,” wrote Benjamin.
Colts’ linebacker Zaire Franklin was mentioned by Benjamin when discussing the No. 44, but ultimately, Marlon Humphrey was selected.