Indianapolis Colts 2021 roster projection after pivotal offseason
By Daniel Davis
Indianapolis Colts Cornerbacks:
The corners on this team are some of youngest, outside of Xavier Rhodes, in the NFL. Rock Ya-Sin, Anthony Chesley, Andre Chachere, and Nick Nelson are all 26 and under with limited experience. Keeping Rhodes on this team was imperative to the success of the pass defense, due to the age of the players who’ll supposedly be starting.
Ya-Sin had a rough year last year, as he was super aggressive and even deleted his Twitter account after the negativity from the fans over his play. Many fans, myself included, called for him to be benched because of his constant penalties in key parts of the game, in particular on third-down and long. Often, it seemed he’d give up near-impossible first downs, also committing endless end zone penalties that provided first-and-goal situations, creating touchdowns out of field goals.
If the secondary can improve their play and give the defensive line time to attack the opposing quarterback, this can be an even better defense than last season. The Colts also have their secret weapon in Kenny Moore, an extremely underrated player that doesn’t get any credit for how good of nickel corner he really is — not to mention that insane one-handed end zone interception against the Raiders in Las Vegas.
Indianapolis Colts Safeties:
As a former safety in high school, safety is one of my favorite positions to watch and study.
When Julian Blackmon was thrust in the starting role for the Colts as a rookie freshly healed from an ACL injury, I had to admit I was worried. However, Blackmon played lights out last season considering his rookie status, equaling the production and leadership of some of the veterans on the team. Blackmon made five game-winning plays for the Colts in key games they needed to win to make the playoffs, most notably against the Packers with a forced fumble.
Alongside him is young player Khari WIllis, who has come into his own as a very good safety. Strong safety is a position that is hard to play because you need to be able to tackle like a linebacker but cover like a corner, all the while watching the quarterback’s eyes scanning the field. The Colts also brought back Marvell Tell, who sat out last season due to COVID-19 fears, and George Odum, who was injured.
In the end, the Colts have added key players, but also lost important contributors who helped bring about 2020’s success.
2021 is looking like it’s going to be a good year for the Colts once again, though we’ll need to see several rebounds and role-fillers to make it happen.
