The 2026 season is supposed to be a rebounding season for the Indianapolis Colts, which saw its winning momentum dry up after its Bye Week last year. As such, they signed Cam Taylor-Britt on a one-year, $1.4 million deal to bolster the cornerback depth after Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward both missed time due to injuries in 2025. As it turns out, though, Cincinnati isn’t yet done with the CB. 

Earlier this year, Taylor-Britt pleaded guilty to two of five traffic violations from last year when he was still with the Bengals. While the NFL did not comment then, it has now made its decision on the CB that could cost him too much.

On Friday, the league announced that Taylor-Britt has been suspended one game without pay for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. This sets him back roughly $62,500 in lost pay, and he will miss the Week 1 game against the Baltimore Ravens. There is one bright side, though.

He remains eligible to practice throughout training camp and play in all three preseason games, which means he can actively compete for a roster spot before September.

According to the policy, “Everyone who is part of the league must refrain from “conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in” the NFL. The suspension due to regulatory reasons throws a wrinkle in what was supposed to be a prove-it year for Taylor-Britt. However, the conclusion to the entire chapter could’ve been much worse, considering what his charges and Ohio’s laws state.

What we know about Taylor-Britt’s traffic violations

Taylor-Britt was arrested in Cincinnati last year on charges of reckless driving and driving without a valid license, both separate incidents. However, those weren’t his only violations.

• In June 2025, he drove through downtown Cincinnati, running several red lights.
• In September 2025, shortly after the Bengals’ game against Jacksonville, he was cited for the same.
• One officer said Taylor-Britt drove on the wrong side of the road, did a burnout, and sped north on Joe Nuxhall Way between Mehring Way and Second Street.
• Other violations included drag racing and crossing the yellow line.

When the charges were brought in front of Judge Bernie Bouchard in January this year, Taylor-Britt took a plea deal.

“I just want to apologize, first and foremost, for my actions, that I have put everyone else through,” he said to the judge.

Reckless driving is considered a misdemeanor in Ohio and is punishable by up to 30 days in jail. So, when the CB’s defense attorneys pushed for community service instead of five days in jail, and later five days jail time but at a later date, the Hamilton County judge was quick to give his response.

“That’s a gift,” the judge said. “Five days instead of 30. He’s got to do them now.

“Hopefully this will get his attention and he’ll continue to keep his license and not drive like a maniac on our streets.”

Deputies escorted Taylor-Britt directly to jail after the sentencing as he limped alongside them holding crutches due to an injury from a November Bengals game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

According to what his attorneys said in that hearing, the CB had visited the BMV earlier that week to get a valid driver’s license. Back then, he was bound to be a free agent who was “ready for a change of scenery.” In the offseason, he signed with the Colts, where he could return to his former form, which helped him win the starting role as a Bengal. But there’s a catch.

Cam Taylor-Britt needs to give his all at Indianapolis, and he has a secret weapon to achieve it

Last season was a down year for the cornerback. A Lisfranc injury to his left foot limited him to eight games and cost him his starting job to D.J. Turner II in Week 11. He ended up recording only 12 total tackles that year. However, Taylor-Britt also admitted that he wasn’t in the right mindset last season.

“I couldn’t get my head right, and it showed in my game,” he said at a presser after signing with the Colts.

At the peak of his career, Taylor-Britt was the No. 1 corner for the Cincinnati Bengals. He started in every game he played in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, emerging as a solid player in Lou Anarumo’s defense. Fortunately, he knows just how to achieve it.

• Taking inspiration from his own words

After a rocky 2024 season, Taylor-Britt was supposed to bounce back last season. However, a few nights of “bad football” pushed his coaches to give him less time on the field. Then, instead of giving any excuses or passing the blame, the CB responded with a promise.

“That’s why you ain’t going to see it any more,” Taylor-Britt told ESPN in October 2025. “I’m dead serious. I’m not playing. Everybody keeps talking about this s—. I’m for real.

“That p—– me off. This is the game I love, that I’ve been playing for so long. It can’t fly with me. I just gotta go ball and be myself.”

Now, even though he gets to suit up for a team this season, it will not be easy for him.

• What challenges await Taylor-Britt in the Colts training camp

While he has the advantage of knowing Anarumo’s playbook, he will have to clear a logjam to make it to a respectable spot in the depth chart behind Sauce Gardner, Charvarius Ward, and Justin Walley.

He will have to fight Johnathan Edwards, Mekhi Blackmon, Jaylon Jones, and Cameron Mitchell to get there. They all bring different sets of ups and downs to the fight.

Edwards seems like a promising candidate, but is only in his second year in the league, while Blackmon will play his third year after starting 11 games for the Colts last year. But Cam Taylor-Britt was confident he will be able to contribute.

• Taylor-Britt continues to have self-confidence

“I bring that athleticism. I feel like I bring a different vibe from the other guys, they’re very dynamic in every way,” Taylor-Britt said. “So most definitely I feel like I can fit in and bring my physicalness and then some ball skills, man.”

A window has opened up for him in training camp. Ward is sitting out of practice with a hip injury and was replaced by Taylor-Britt, as noted by Noah Compton. He noted that there were a lot of “strong coverage” reps that day, with lots of energy.

The real question in his first season with the Colts is whether a reunion with Anarumo is enough to get back the player Cincinnati saw in 2023 and 2024.