What does an Isaiah Rodgers Sr. suspension mean for Colts young cornerback room?

With Isaiah Rodgers Sr. likely to be suspended by the NFL for a significant period of time, the Indianapolis Colts will rely on a lot of young corners.

When the Indianapolis Colts traded away Stephon Gilmore, cornerback became a position that the team needed to urgently address. With Gilmore gone, and Brandon Facyson leaving in free agency, Isaiah Rodgers Sr. became the veteran in the room and the only sure thing. To address that, the Colts selected three cornerbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The plan was for Rodgers to be the top corner, and for the three rookies and Dallis Flowers to compete for the starting role opposite of Rodgers. However, a wrench was thrown into those plans on Monday when it was announced that Isaiah Rodgers Sr. is being investigated by the NFL for possible violations of the league’s gambling policy.

Although the NFL hasn’t officially punished Rodgers yet, Rodgers has already apologized, so a suspension should be coming soon. There’s a pretty good chance that Rodgers will miss all of next season. What does that mean for the Colts and their cornerback room?

How will Colts survive without Isaiah Rodgers Sr?

Well, the biggest thing it means is that Indy needs to look into acquiring a veteran corner or two. There are some available veterans in free agency and also some veterans that Indianapolis could trade for if it wants to take that route. Both options have to be on the table considering the youth and inexperience of the corners on the roster.

With Rodgers out of the equation for the 2023 season, the remaining outside corners are mostly rookies. Dallis Flowers is entering his second season, but didn’t play much defensively as a rookie, and Julius Brents, Darius Rush, and Jaylon Jones are all promising, but haven’t taken a snap in the NFL yet.

They could all be elite, but no one knows yet. Are the Colts willing to bet on the unknown? Probably not exclusively. The cornerback room will be young regardless, and Indy will be relying on a rookie or two; that would’ve been the case with Rodgers. However, Indy must now decide if it’s going to go all in on first and second year players at the cornerback spot, or if the team wants to aggressively pursue a veteran.

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