Last week, Kenny Moore and the Colts mutually agreed to part ways, with Moore now expected to seek a trade.
On one hand, it’s a bit surprising. Moore was supposed to benefit from Lou Anarumo and the new scheme he’s bringing to Indianapolis. Anarumo loves to blitz from the slot—one of Moore’s best traits—and uses the nickel to disguise simulated pressures.
In theory, Moore should have been a great fit. That’s not to say his 2025 season was a disaster, but injuries did keep him out of the lineup. Now,
heading into a pivotal offseason, it appears Moore is another casualty in the Colts’ effort to get younger on defense.
The Colts should be able to acquire some decent Day 3 draft capital in a trade. In today’s NFL, the nickel is one of the most important positions on the field. You’re asked to do far more than just cover the slot.
Nickel corners are expected to blitz and play the run. With all the motion in today’s game, defenses have to simplify how they maintain structure so they don’t get outflanked. One common adjustment is treating the nickel like a linebacker and “bumping” over with motion. That’s how players like Moore can end up fitting the B-gap 10 times a game.
Long story short, the nickel is extremely valuable. Not only should Moore draw interest from teams in need, but the Colts also have to find a replacement.
JUSTIN WALLEY
The Colts were very high on Justin Walley when they selected him on Day 2 of last year’s draft. The Minnesota corner showed the ability to play both inside and outside, along with the toughness to defend the run.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see Walley last season due to injury, but it’s important to remember he’s still a recent Day 2 pick.
On film, you can see him (bottom of the screen) maintain leverage relative to his safety help throughout the rep.
Minnesota is in a single high safety look, so in order to create a natural bracket on the receiver, the corner needs to be in position to cover any throws where the middle field safety and sideline can’t help him.
Nick Saban talks about the “divider” or an imaginary line between the numbers and hashmarks. If the WR is lined up outside that line, then the corner needs to be inside and high, knowing that the sideline is his help. But when the WR breaks back inside that divider, the corner needs to transition and should be outside and in a trail position since the safety is inside and deep. That way he can protect against any outbreaking routes.
That kind of movement skill is impressive, and finishing with a play on the ball makes it even better.
At a minimum, he should factor into dime (six defensive back) packages. But there’s a strong case that the Colts view him as their nickel of the future.
There are plenty of unknowns on the roster, and Walley is no exception. Still, he feels like the current frontrunner to be the starting nickel. At some point, the players Chris Ballard drafts have to get on the field.
D’ANGELO PONDS?
A lot of Colts fans in Indiana are probably looking down the road to Bloomington for a potential Kenny Moore replacement— and it makes a lot of sense. Ponds has the speed to run with faster wide-receivers, can track the ball in the air very well, can slip blocks in the run game and make plays in the backfield, and is as consistent a tackler at the corner position that you’ll see for guys his size.
nds has the speed to run with quicker receivers, tracks the ball well, slips blocks in the run game, and is a consistently reliable tackler for his size.
The biggest question will be his physical profile. Moore is also undersized, but he made up for it with arm length. Ballard has historically valued long-armed defenders, which is something Ponds lacks. That said, Ballard’s drafting tendencies have evolved over time, so it’ll be interesting to see how the Colts view him.
There are, of course, other corners the Colts could target, especially in the later rounds, but Ponds remains one of the more intriguing options.
It’s always difficult to project players to teams outside the first round, but Ballard has recently shown a preference for prospects from winning programs. So it’s not out of the question.
OTHER OPTIONS
Though less likely, I thought it be worth considering some remaining free agent options. The front office clearly are big fans of Chris Lammons and he might be a good depth option at the bottom of the roster during training camp. Though I thought he played well when he subbed for Kenny Moore last year, Lou didn’t seem to view him as a player that would stick around for very long. Nonetheless, it’s worth considering.
BOTTOM LINE
I think it’s almost certainly going to be Justin Walley’s job to lose after the Colts trade Kenny Moore. I do think given the importance of the position, that depth is important, so I feel confident they’ll add competition in the draft, UDFA’s, or remaining free agents.
While the loss of Kenny Moore adds yet another question mark to a defense that has very few certainties, it opens the door for the Colts to find a long term starter at the position. It feels as if Ballard is willing to sink or swim with his ability to evaluate younger underutilized talent and believes it’s time to open that door and part ways with franchise cornerstones.
Like anything in the offseason, all we can do is wait and find out if it works.
