With all the news surrounding this franchise about the quarterback battle between incumbent Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones, the injuries in the cornerback room have quietly built up. The always nagging hamstring injuries have sidelined the trio of Charvarius Ward, Jaylon Jones, and JuJu Brents.
To pour salt on the wounds, rookie (and expected starting outside cornerback) Justin Walley is now out for the season with a torn ACL.
Walley was the apple of Chris Ballard’s eye for this draft class. It was the one player he stood on the table for to draft, and some thought he may have reached for the pick. His early returns were positive, and with the injuries that piled up, Walley was able to get some extra playing time and eyes on him.
The Indianapolis Colts might need to find some help in the secondary before the 2025 season
Unfortunately, that will come to an end now. The Colts signed veterans Duke Shelley and Tre Herndon for camp bodies, but they have now been thrust into more reps.
The Colts will have to find a potential replacement via trade or free agency. Are veterans Duke Shelley and Tre Herndon the answers? No disrespect to them, but they are not. They were brought in for depth, but the chances of them making the roster were slim.
The Colts also released Corey Ballentine earlier this offseason, and he would have been a candidate to return, he has been re-acquired by his old team, the Green Bay Packers. The options are running out, but let’s look at some scenarios that the Colts could look at to shore up this defensive back room before the season starts.
Acquiring CB Kelee Ringo from Philadelphia
If there is one team that loves to make moves to acquire more draft capital, it's Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles. He never shies away from making in season moves to improve his depth or overall team. You might argue this is what keeps them competitive year in and year out, he never stops scouting and building his team.
In fact, they made a trade last week to acquire a cornerback. They did a rare player-for-player swap to acquire Raiders CB Jakorian Bennett for DT Thomas Booker. This means they might have some depth fears with both Adoree Jackson and Kelee Ringo battling for the starting spot. Or do they think that neither one of them is capable of starting this season?
No matter the reason, Ringo would be the easier one to obtain of the two. Adoree Jackson was signed in the offseason to replace Darius Slay, and if Ringo were traded to the Colts and fit into this new scheme under Lou Anarumo, you could argue he could be part of the future of the team.
He is only twenty-three years old and comes from a winning culture in both the NFL and college, where he won back-to-back CFB titles at Georgia.
It's unlikely that Philadelphia would do a player-for-player swap like they previously did. However, Philly loves to stockpile draft picks to acquire the elite talent for the franchise. A late-round pick or pick swap should get the job done for both sides.
Bring back Stephon Gilmore
I get it, he’s 34 years old now and yes, he is most likely still a free agent for a reason. Has he lost a step, maybe? Has he bounced around lately, he sure has. However, he has pedigree and respect amongst the coaches in this league.
With old age comes knowledge and leadership. He has been in multiple schemes, and he knows how to adapt quickly to those schemes. Not saying it’s easy to do but he has proven he can. He has been on four teams in the past four years and played well. In fact, he had a career high in tackles with Dallas in 2023.
He has the respect of Chris Ballard and would be welcomed back with open arms. You can get a traveled veteran who can make an instant impact at an expected reduced salary rate. A one-year, incentive-laden deal could get the deal done for both sides.
Sign Asante Samuel Jr
Desperate times call for desperate measures in Indianapolis. Arguably, the best cornerback available on the open market has yet to find a home for the 2025 season. He is recovering from offseason neck surgery, and teams have yet to engage him until they see the medicals on him.
He is only 25 years old and so far, has proven to have the talent to be a franchise cornerback. Samuel becomes an option if either of the trio of Colts' starting outside corners will miss significant time.
Otherwise, he would likely sign somewhere else to have a larger opportunity. Chris Ballard loves to give those one-year prove-it deals to veterans coming off a major injury, and this time would be no different.