Colts’ Secondary Group in the Air Following NFL Draft

The Indianapolis Colts boosted their team on both sides of the ball in the NFL draft, and now have a rough idea of what the team will look like entering the 2024 season. One position that wasn’t addressed until late in the draft was cornerback, which many analysts had the Colts tackling in the first round.

There were plenty of compatible corners such as Quinyon Mitchell or Cooper DeJean later in the first round, but general manager Chris Ballard had to capitalize on the defensive talent that fell to him at pick 15 in Laiatu Latu. The Colts would wait until the fifth round to take a defensive back, selecting Jaylin Simpson out of Auburn and later taking Micah Abraham from Marshall.

Simpson and Abraham will have to fight for their spot on the roster with other hungry corners returning from injury. The Colts suffered from numerous injuries to young defensive backs last year, so no starting spot is secure except for Kenny Moore II and Julian Blackmon. 

This leaves multiple starting positions open, from cornerback to free safety. “Who’s going to step up and be that guy that takes the next step there as a corner?” asked defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. “We trust Kenny with his consistency. But with those other guys, it’s play in, play out. Who can play at the standard that we’re looking to play at?”

For the Colts, the standard is the playoffs. Chris Ballard has only brought Indianapolis to two playoff appearances as general manager, and this season could be a “make it or break it” situation. A weak secondary has cost Indianapolis before, most recently in the Week 18 battle against the Houston Texans that decided the AFC South winner. 

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns on 76.9% accuracy, picking apart an Indy secondary that couldn’t get the job done on third downs. With the Texans trading for star receiver Stefon Diggs, it only makes sense for the Colts to upgrade their pass defense before the season kicks off.

With OTA offseason workouts right around the corner (May 21-23), the coaching staff should get a quick glance at who they want to take first-team reps.