Justin Walley gets paid relatively good money, compared to most of humanity, to play a sport for a living, but the way the Indianapolis Colts are currently treating him is unfair. The second-year cornerback has been atrocious through the first two games, but what help is Indy giving him? None.
In essence, Walley is a rookie. He was injured before last season and missed the year. He didn't play in a real NFL game until Week 1 this season. He was terrible against the Baltimore Ravens, and he was terrible against the Kansas City Chiefs. A player struggling that badly needs to be taken out of the game or have a defensive coordinator who adjusts the scheme to help him.
Because if Walley loses, everyone loses, and the slot cornerback is losing exceedingly badly. Through two games, he has allowed 204 passing yards (second-most in the NFL) and the fourth-most receptions (12). His passer rating allowed is 158.3, the absolute worst a cornerback could have.
Indianapolis Colts need to bench Justin Walley or get him some help in coverage
Against KC, Walley allowed seven completions on eight targets for 105 yards and two touchdowns, according to Next Gen Stats. He probably should be benched, and Indianapolis appears to have a built-in replacement in the person of Cam Taylor-Britt, who has a history of playing in the slot.
Plus, Taylor-Britt played under defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo when both were with the Cincinnati Bengals. Why Indy hasn't had the veteran take over the slot corner yet is a mystery because anyone can see how much Walley is struggling. He certainly is unlikely to get better by being torched every week. His confidence is eventually going to suffer.
But Aanrumo's overall approach is exposing Walley, too. According to ESPN's Stephen Holder, the Indianapolis Colts are playing man coverage 42 percent of the time, but Indy also has no sustained pass rush. That means coverage has to hold for longer, and eventually receivers are going to become open.
Not that even the coverage breakdowns need to take long to develop, because Walley is getting beaten easily. Plus, Anarumo's scheme normally results in bad coverage by the inside linebackers. Numerous breakdowns are happening early on drop-backs, though Walley is the player being most consistently defeated.
Maybe the Colts make a change in practice this week as Indianapolis prepares to face AFC South rival, the Houston Texans, in Week 3. Houston isn't having a great season so far, but quarterback CJ Stroud is playing well. Unless Indy does something to help Justin Walley, the team is going to start 0-3, and the team could be looking at more massive changes by the end of the season.
That said, if the coaching staff is changed and a new defensive coordinator comes in, they might find a better way to use Walley. If nothing else, the new DC is likely to keep exposing the young cornerback to constant failure.
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