After the 2019 NFL season, many around the league thought that Xavier Rhodes could no longer play.
The veteran cornerback had battled nagging injuries all year and saw his play decrease to where he was a liability in coverage.
The Minnesota Vikings had seen enough, and after seven years, decided to cut the cornerback, no longer needing his services.
Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard saw a player that needed a change of scenery. He thought a change in scheme, one where cornerbacks are asked to support the run and play with their instincts in zone coverage rather than follow their man around the field, would do wonders for Rhodes.
His gamble paid off.
Rhodes signed a one-year deal to be the Colts’ top outside corner and proceeded to turn out one of the best seasons of his career. The change of scenery was just what Rhodes needed, and the Colts rewarded his 2020 performance with another one-year deal for 2021.
Unfortunately for Rhodes, his strong performance has not carried over to 2021. This season, Rhodes has given up a 69.4% completion rate when targeted and allowed three touchdowns in coverage in seven games played. Opposing quarterbacks also have a quarterback rating of 122.7 against Rhodes.
“I think Xav (Xavier Rhodes) would tell you he’s playing consistent at times and then inconsistent at times.,” Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus said last week. “I think that he knows that he has to work, just like every player on our team has to work. We’re all working to get better. We’re all working to improve, and I think that’s where he is.”
The obvious reason for the decline can be attributed to injuries. Rhodes hasn’t been 100% all season and has missed three games due to a calf injury. In two games in which he did play, Rhodes left the game early because of the same calf injury.
“Just going out there and just doing what I can to help my team,” Rhodes said about playing hurt. “You know, stick it through a rehab or whatever I have to do to just stay out there and play.”
The Colts, at this point, have not discussed putting Rhodes on injured reserve to allow the calf to heal fully. Rhodes was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday and hopes to play after missing last week’s contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Colts are taking on the Buffalo Bills this week at Highmark Stadium, the site of the 2020 AFC Wild Card game that saw the Bills beat the Colts 27-24. This is a game the Colts have been looking forward to since the schedule came out, as many players still have a bad taste in their mouths from that game in January.
With MVP candidate Josh Allen quarterbacking the Bills and the fifth-ranked offense in the NFL, Rhodes will need to be at his best if he is healthy enough to play. The trio of Stefon Diggs, Emmanuel Sanders, and Cole Beasley at wide receiver will be a tough matchup for a Colts team that is already missing both of their starting safeties in Julian Blackmon (Achilles) and Khari Willis (calf).
Rhodes will be relied upon to make things difficult for the Bills’ passing attack. He has already gutted through his injury to have a fantastic performance against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7, where he recorded his only interception of the season. It looks like he will be relied on once again to get this done on the road.
But Rhodes isn’t just battling injuries to keep him on the field. The veteran is also battling with a young cornerback on the Colts who is trying to crack the starting lineup.
Isaiah Rodgers, a 2020 sixth-round pick out of UMass, has played admirably in Rhodes’s stead when injuries haven’t allowed him to play. Rodgers is besting Rhodes in all of the advanced metrics stated previously, as he is allowing a 55.9% completion percentage when targeted (-13.5% compared to Rhodes), zero touchdowns given up (-3), and a quarterback rating of 62.3 (-60.4). Both cornerbacks have the same number of turnovers generated with one interception apiece.
Rodgers also brings a speed element to the cornerback position. While it seems Rhodes has lost a step, Rodgers ran a 4.27 40-yard dash before the 2020 NFL draft and is considered to be one of, if not the, fastest player on the team. Rodgers plays with a tenacity to his game and always fights to make a play, while some have questioned Rhodes’s effort, at times, throughout the season.
The second-year player is coming for the starting lineup, and if Rhodes’s level of play doesn’t step up soon, there may be a change at the outside cornerback position.
So, just like the Colts in their push for the playoffs, it’s now or never for Xavier Rhodes. Will he rise to the occasion and play at a high level, helping his team and himself in the process? Or will he continue to struggle and lose his starting spot to a young player on the rise?
Tune in Sunday to find out.
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