Colts sign former Jets safety Tyreque Jones to practice squad; Release DT Ross Blacklock

The Indianapolis Colts announced on Monday that the team signed former New York Jets safety Tyreque Jones to the practice squad and waived recently signed defensive tackle Ross Blacklock in a corresponding roster move.

Jones just spent time on the New York Jets practice squad, having been initially signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Boise State.

Via Colts.com:

“Collegiately, Jones played in 59 games (38 starts) at Boise State (2017-22) and compiled 157 tackles (110 solo), 12.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, 18 passes defensed, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He earned All-Mountain West Honorable Mention recognition two times (2021 and 2022).”

His NFL Draft profile summary reads as follows:

Overview

Box safety featuring good size and closing speed but a lack of fluidity to hold up to man-coverage duties as a pro. Jones plays with good toughness and a willingness to mix it up near the line of scrimmage. He’s capable in short zone coverage or against certain in-line tight ends, but he loses effectiveness when playing in reverse. Jones’ extreme length will catch the attention of traits-hungry teams, but those same teams will face limitations in how they are able use him.

Jones looks like he could prove to be a reliable special teamer or backup nickel/safety in time, who not coincidentally might be best suited to be deployed in a Cover 3 defensive scheme like the Colts infamously utilize these days.