Colts: 3 defenders who stand to benefit most from Justin Houston-DeForest Buckner tandem

1. Xavier Rhodes

Expect Xavier Rhodes to benefit in coverage with an improve Colts pass rush.

The Colts did extremely well to sign cornerback Xavier Rhodes to a one-year, $3 million contract this offseason despite his forgettable performance in 2019. The three-time Pro Bowler’s play really plummeted last season, but we’re eager to see how he rebounds following a needed change of scenery.

In 15 games with Minnesota, Rhodes allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 81.5% (66-of-81) of their passes when targeting in him, according to Pro Football Focus. He also allowed a 123.8 passer rating while conceding a staggering 9.8 yards per target.

You could certainly argue that Rhodes wasn’t in the right mindset last campaign, but he also recently mentioned the Colts’ zone schemes will help him in a big way if he’s able to look at the quarterback rather than stare down his man the entire way.

Plus, the Houston-Buckner tandem will only ease his transition with the Colts. We all know that secondaries are made better from a dominant pass rush and the 30-year-old clearly stands to benefit the most from this potentially formidable pairing up front. Everyone wrote Rhodes off after one bad year, but the Colts showed faith and went the extra mile by putting him in a very favorable situation.