Colts Secondary Must Solve Glaring Issue

Brents, a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, has missed tons of time due to injury. He dealt with a quad issue in year one before suffering a meniscus and PCL injury in Week 1 of year two. A third-straight season with a lower-body injury isn't promising, but there's no official timetable for his recovery.

Jones, a seventh-round pick from the same draft class, started every single game for Indianapolis last season. He finished the year with 100 combined tackles, two interceptions, 12 passes defended, and one forced fumble. Jones immediately impressed general manager Chris Ballard upon entering the league and has outplayed his draft stock by a country mile.

Despite having two promising guys in Jones and Brents, the injury issues raise reasonable concern ahead of this season. Secondary depth has been a problem throughout Chris Ballard's tenure, and there's no end in sight.

Further down the depth chart lies Samuel Womack III, an underrated performer from 2024. Womack was graded as the 38th-best corner in the league (71.4 overall grade) according to Pro Football Focus.

Without Womack stepping up, last year could have been even uglier. As a whole, the Colts' defense allowed a 69.36% completion rate to opposing quarterbacks along with nearly 230 passing yards per game.

Aside from coverage issues, tackling was a major problem. The Colts missed 157 tackles last year, which was far and away the most in the league. That's exactly why Ballard brought in Charvarius Ward, who has one of the lowest missed tackle rates since entering the NFL.

If the Colts want to buy some insurance, there are plenty of free agent options on the market, including one name that sticks out with clear ties to the organization.

That would be Stephon Gilmore. A Colts corner in 2022, Gilmore played in one of the worst Colts seasons of the past decade. During his short stay, Gilmore hauled in two interceptions, had 11 passes defended, and allowed a 56.2% completion rate. He's spent the last two years with the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings on a reasonable salary. If Ballard wants a reunion, that's still on the table.

The Colts missed out on Eli Apple, a former Cincinnati Bengals corner with direct ties to new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. Other free agent options include James Bradberry, Rasul Douglas, and Kendall Fuller. No matter the signing, it seems like a safety net is necessary to prevent another disappointing defensive season.

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