Colts are "Going to Go Young Again" at Cornerback

Indianapolis Colts General Manager Chris Ballard spoke to the media for the first time since the NFL Draft this past Monday. In his opening press conference of the season, Ballard mentioned several points of emphasis for the team in the 2023 season.

One noteworthy decision that Ballard discussed was the youth at the cornerback position. According to Ballard, the team made the decision to "go young at cornerback again" at the conclusion of the 2022 season:

I’m excited. I remember going back in ’18, remember we had just – Vontae (Davis) was gone, we had claimed Kenny Moore II the year before. We were really young in the secondary. I think deciding to go that way, we kind of made that decision after the season and, ‘Look we’re going to go young again.’ We ended up drafting three guys. We got some guys internally that we like. Kenny Moore II is in a really good spot and I think he’ll have a really big year. We really like Dallis Flowers. Dallis is talented. He's a young player like any but we think he’s going to take a whole other step.

Ballard says, flat-out, that Colts decided in the winter to go really young at CB this year
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) July 25, 2023

Chris Ballard seemed particularly bullish about the future of Dallis Flowers, an undrafted free agent from last season that shined in limited playing time. He logged just 174 defensive snaps, but Ballard clearly seems something to develop in the young player:

Stephon (Gilmore), I love Stephon Gilmore – he’s an unbelievable pro and I still talk to Stephon. He was high – he kept telling me, ‘Man this Dallis Flowers is really talented.’ He’s right, he is. Now, he’s got to play and he’s got to prove it but the times, the snapshot we’ve given him has been pretty good. Of course, he’s going to have some mistakes and look, we’re going to have some up-and-down play back there.

Just looking at the Colts' cornerback depth chart, it is easy to see the effort to go young at the position. The team currently has nine players rostered at the moment. The players are (along with career defensive snaps played):

Kenny Moore II (4,710)
Tony Brown II (438)
Kevin Toliver II (327)
Chris Lammons (177)
Dallis Flowers (174)
Darrell Baker Jr (0)
JuJu Brents (0)
Darius Rush (0)
Jaylon Jones (0)
Cole Coleman (0)

40% of the Colts' current cornerback room are rookies. Kenny Moore II, Tony Brown II, Chris Lammons, and Kevin Toliver II are the only four players that have been in the NFL for more than one season at this point. There isn't a single player over 30 years old in this group, and the average age of these players is just 25.

As Chris Ballard said, this was a deliberate plan to go young at a vital position. They drafted three cornerbacks for a reason and they want to give those young players a shot to make an impact on the roster from day one.

Will it backfire in the Colts' face? Potentially, but it never hurts to see what the young guys have in an important developmental season. Personally, I'm excited to see what these players can do in camp and in the preseason.

Need your fill on daily Colts' content? Head over to the Locked On Colts' YouTube channel where Jake Arthur and myself hit on all the major topics surrounding this team. Hit that subscribe button while you are there!

Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.