Colts’ Xavier Rhodes is Pro Football Focus’ highest-rated cornerback.
It feels like an eternity ago when Xavier Rhodes blew a few coverages against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which resulted in a loss for the Indianapolis Colts back in Week 1. So much has changed since then.
Indy arguably has the best defense in the NFL and Rhodes is seemingly exceeding his value after the Colts signed him to a one-year, $3 million deal following his release from the Vikings. Sure, his dominant showing against a really bad Jets team has inflated his stats, but those are the situations where the team needs him to feast.
Also, he had a really good performance against his former team in Week 2, helping Indy hold Minnesota to just 11 points and 113 yards passing. The secondary also picked off Kirk Cousins three times.
The Colts went bargain shopping at CB this offseason. Indianapolis spent its big bucks elsewhere (Buckner, Rivers, Castonzo, Kelly).
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) September 28, 2020
And it's still early.
But the last two weeks, Xavier Rhodes and T.J. Carrie have provided big-time rewards.https://t.co/oxLam5E5U4
If fans are going to use that one week of evidence to bash Rhodes into oblivion, they have to give credit for his performances over the last two weeks. Now, he’ll get a crack at the Chicago Bears in Week 4, a team he’s faced 14 times since coming into the NFL.
Not to get ahead of ourselves, because all Pro Football Focus ratings should be taken with a grain of salt, but after earning a 93.8 grade in Week 3, Rhodes is the highest-rated cornerback in the entire league.
https://twitter.com/PFF_Colts/status/1310590738707742731?s=20
Rhodes will have a lot of work cut out for him since the Colts are set to face the Ravens, Packers, Titans, Raiders and Steelers this year, all of whom have proven to have a stellar or at least above-average passing attack. The Jets won’t be walking through that door again to gift this team a win.
But the veteran has to be acknowledged for his promising play over the last two weeks, especially since the team has been dealing with the absences of Rock Ya-Sin and Malik Hooker. It’s also important to note Rhodes is learning an entirely new defense since coming to Indy and it’s clear he’s been on top of most that’s been thrown at him.
We said this could be one of the biggest bargains of the offseason, and right now it’s trending in that direction.
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