Are the Colts going to address the secondary?

The biggest hole from last year remains the biggest hole going forward.

The Indianapolis Colts were busy this offseason. Like every year under Chris Ballard, they were flush with cash. The Colts entered the 2024 season with the sixth most cap space. A flurry of moves saw it go almost exclusively to players from last year’s team. While there was certainly talent they needed to bring back, seeing the team stay stagnant was disappointing at best. Not addressing the gaping hole that is the secondary, could prove fatal.

Ballard isn’t a fan of premium position players even though they are proven league wide to be the ones that make a difference. He normally ignores two key positions: wide receiver and cornerback. This year saw a receiver in Adonai Mitchell taken in the second round. Maybe that marks a change in philosophy. Heck, he signed Michael Pittman Jr. to an extension this offseason and has drafted Alec Pierce and Josh Downs in consecutive drafts. Pittman is proving to be incredibly solid and Downs emerged as a true threat. The fact that Pierce hasn’t fully realized his potential shouldn’t negate the fact that Ballard is finally paying some attention to the position.

The secondary is a slightly different situation. Yes, Kenny Moore II and Julian Blackmon were resigned. That is a huge plus. Yes, JuJu Brents was selected last year in the second round. Although he battled injuries, he definitely looks like a keeper. After that, I get nervous. Dallis Flowers showed some flashes, but he missed the majority of the season with an Achilles injury. Are the Colts putting their ultimate faith in a second year undrafted free agent coming off an injury? What about Nick Cross, Rodney Thomas, or Jaylon Jones? Do any of those names keep an offensive coordinator up at night? I doubt it. The Colts also chose to wait until the fifth round to address the secondary in this year’s draft. While someone like Jaylin Simpson or Micah Abraham could work out, I don’t see much of an impact this year.

The main issue isn’t so much that the Colts lacked talent in the secondary last year, it is that so much talent was out there during the offseason, and the team has done nothing to acquire it. Xavien Howard is currently being listed as a good fit for the Colts. He isn’t a stud at this point in his career, but wouldn’t he be an upgrade? What about bringing Stephon Gilmore back or adding Adoree’ Jackson? Sign me up for a Justin Simmons or Quandre Diggs. These players are all available because they have flaws. Some are on the wrong side of their playing days while others didn’t have their best performances in 2023. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t serve as an upgrade to the current roster.

There is still time to dig through the remaining free agents and see what type of deal Ballard can get on a desperate free agent. I still believe he will sign someone else, but I won’t be surprised if he doesn’t. The defensive front was dominant this year. That helped the secondary hold up. If the front slides this year, the back half of the defense could be even more exposed. Either the veterans have to play to their full potential, the young guns need to take that next leap, or both. Otherwise, look for the Colts to continue to get burned by making the same repeated mistakes.