Lions Among Teams Interested In CB Kenny Moore

After spending his first nine years in Indianapolis, Moore and the team mutually agreed to seek a trade in early April. The Colts did not find a taker, leading them to cut Moore to free up $7MM in cap room. Moore, a one-time Pro Bowler, who ended his Colts tenure with 88 pass breakups and 21 interceptions in 132 games, expressed a desire to sign with a contender back in June.

“I’m at the perfect point in my career where I really want to win, and hopefully that comes with a team that has the culture, the scheme set up for me,” he said.

While age isn’t on the 31-year-old Moore’s side, he remained a solid regular last season. Over 14 games and seven starts, Moore logged a 61% defensive snap share and tallied 55 tackles, six passes defensed, three TFL, three quarterback hits, 1.5 sacks and a pick. Moore’s performance impressed Pro Football Focus, which rated him as the game’s 37th-best corner out of 112 qualifiers.

It’s unknown if Moore will be able to contribute immediately if he does land a deal, but the fact that Detroit is interested in adding to its secondary is hardly surprising. Without safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, who each opened the season on the reserve/PUP list, the Lions yielded a combined 621 passing yards and six touchdowns to Saints quarterback Tyler Shough and Bills QB Josh Allen in their first two games. They blew a 21-0 point lead against the Saints before escaping with a 31-30 overtime win, but the Lions’ 41-31 loss to the Bills was never particularly close.

Although defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard is reportedly not on the hot seat, that might change if the Lions’ woes continue on his side of the ball. Branch and Joseph could return as soon as Week 5, which would help Sheppard’s cause, and a Moore signing may prove beneficial if he has anything left in the tank. Moore would give the Lions another option in the slot, where they mainly used Roger McCreary, Christian Izien and safety Avonte Maddox during the first two weeks of the season. However, Maddox’s status is in question after he suffered a foot injury on Thursday in Buffalo. He was on crutches and in a boot after the game.