The Indianapolis Colts have had a relatively quiet offseason. Back in February and March, most of general manager Chris Ballard’s attention was focused on retaining his two offensive stars, Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce. After devoting a fair amount of his available cash to that purpose, he began bargain hunting in free agency.
He bolstered the Colts’ defense with a group of aging journeymen. None signed deals valued at more than 10 million dollars per season. Most were under five million. Few, if any, of those players figure to be long-term solutions to the Colts' aging defense.
At the same time, he parted ways with several of his younger starting defenders. Zaire Franklin, Kwity Paye, and Nick Cross – all long-standing Colts starters and all under 30 – left either via trade or free agency. It seemed fairly obvious that a rebuild was beginning.
Indianapolis Colts may turn to a surprise option in the slot in 2026
Ballard brought in several young veterans to compete for the chance to replace Nick Cross as a box safety. Juanyeh Thomas and Jonathan Owens arrived on budget-friendly deals. It initially seemed as if they would be competing with Hunter Wohlers, who missed 2025 with an injury, for the spot opposite Cam Bynum in the back end of Lou Anarumo’s defense.
I said at the time that Wohlers might have the best chance based on the limited sample size we saw last summer. Owens and Thomas were both decent players, but neither had shown that he could hold down a starting spot in the NFL.
Then two things happened. Chris Ballard chose LSU safety AJ Haulcy in the third round of the NFL draft. And he released long-time slot corner, Kenny Moore. The first move appeared to close the door on any chance of Wohlers, Owens, Thomas, or any of the other safeties on the roster from jumping into Cross’s role.
Wohlers was a seventh-round draft pick. Owens and Thomas were not drafted at all. Haulcy wasn’t chosen with Ballard’s second pick this year (he did not have a selection in round one) to have him sit on the bench.
But the other move – releasing Moore – may have opened up a new door for Juanyeh Thomas.
Thomas is a safety by trade. His athletic profile – 6’1”, 218 pounds, 4.55 speed in the 40 – screams safety. In Dallas, where he played his entire four-year career up to 2026, he was a popular player due to his versatility, his hitting, and his generally upbeat personality.
He was one of those players who was always seen as a potential breakout candidate. But, for various reasons, the breakout never came.
Playing under three defensive coordinators in three pro seasons - (he spent his rookie year on the Cowboy’s practice squad) – slowed his progress. Migraines slowed it even more. Still, he remained a decent depth piece and special teams player on a defense that was constantly struggling to find an identity.
There are several intriguing aspects to Thomas’ career which may come into play now that Moore has been released. Thomas may look like a safety, but don’t be surprised if he doesn’t get a long look as the Colts new slot cornerback.
Or, at least, part of a rotation in the slot. Second year player Justin Walley remains the most likely option to succeed Moore. Like Haulcy, he was a third-round pick and like Wohlers, he missed his entire rookie campaign.
But he is healthy now. It seems likely that Walley plays the slot with veterans Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward on the outside. If healthy, that is a formidable unit.
But all three of them missed time last season. Walley can play outside as well, so if Ward or Gardner misses time, he might shift to the perimeter.
But even if they all stay healthy, Juanyeh Thomas offers something a little bit different in the slot, and it fits with a broad league trend.
Some of the most productive slot receivers in the NFL in the past five years have been bigger pass catchers who began as outside options. Larry Fitzgerald was the prototype.
Soon, offensive coordinators realized that a savvy veteran route runner who may have lost a step could physically overwhelm traditionally smaller, quicker slot corners. Mike Evans and Keenan Allen are matchup nightmares when they line up inside.
Defenses responded. Though the typical slot corner is still on the smaller side, athletic safeties like Derwin James and Kyle Hamilton began taking turns in the slot. The newest innovation was unveiled in Seattle last season when Nick Emmanwori routinely lined up either in the slot or in the box like a traditional weakside linebacker.
To be clear, Juanyeh Thomas is not Nick Emmanwori or Derwin James. But consider the following….
Despite not having exceptional straight-line speed, Thomas boasts a borderline-elite time in the short shuttle. That drill, designed to measure how quickly a player can change direction, may be the single most-telling test for a slot corner. Thomas’ time equates with some of the best in the league.
Despite lapses, Thomas has generally been a sound tackler. If you study his tape, you will see a very good tackler who occasionally fails. If you look at his Pro Football Focus (subscription required) grades, you see the same thing. A bunch of good performances followed by one or two bad ones.
Tackling is crucial for a slot corner. Often, it is more important than coverage skill.
Dallas was experimenting with Thomas in the slot a few seasons back. It didn’t go anywhere, and his trouble with migraines delayed his development. But the early reports were encouraging.
Finally, Chris Hewitt, Colts’ pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach, spent his entire professional career with the Baltimore Ravens before coming to Indy in 2025. He witnessed firsthand how Kyle Hamilton played all over the field. He oversaw the move of a bigger perimeter corner – Marlon Humphries – into the slot in 2024 with great success.
None of this means Juanyeh Thomas will be the Colts’ slot cornerback in 2026. But there are a lot of hints that suggest he could get a tryout, at least in certain packages.
Walley is still the presumptive number-one slot option. Players like Cam Taylor-Britt and Mekhi Blackmon look the part more than Thomas. But none of them have logged many snaps inside. And none of them offer what Thomas does.
NFL defenses prize diversity more and more these days. Walley may begin in the slot, but there’s no guarantee he will remain there. Hybrid players in the secondary are becoming a bigger part of NFL schemes, and Indianapolis may have found a versatile diamond in the rough in Juanyeh Thomas.
Add us as a preferred source on Google