Colts' Veteran Corner Cracks Top 30 of PFF's Outside CB Rankings

One year after re-establishing his reputation as a legitimate shutdown cornerback, veteran Colts' corner Xavier Rhodes lands inside Pro Football Focus's top 30 outside CB rankings.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a better move Indianapolis Colts General Manager Chris Ballard has made in free agency in recent years than the one-year contract he inked Xavier Rhodes to ahead of the 2020 season. 

After being released by the Minnesota Vikings three years after signing a massive contract extension, Rhodes looked to be at the, well, end of the road in his career. 

In stepped the Colts and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, turning Rhodes loose in the zone-heavy scheme, allowing Rhodes to flat-out thrive in his first year in Indianapolis. 

Thanks to his performance in 2020, Rhodes found himself inside the top 30 of Pro Football Focus's outside cornerback rankings, coming in at No. 30 overall. 

Here's what PFF's Ben Linsey had to say about Rhodes:

The perception of Rhodes is much different this offseason than it was at this time a year ago following a bounceback season for the Colts in 2020. Rhodes went from allowing a league-high 84.3% of the passes into his coverage to be completed in 2019 to just 50.7% in 2020 with Indianapolis. His six penalties this past season were fewer than any year since his rookie season in 2013. Rhodes will look to continue to build on that success on another one-year deal with the team in 2021.

Playing in a zone-heavy system, Rhodes was able to sit back and read the QBs eyes and jump routes, breaking up throws and disrupting the catch point against receivers, cutting his completion percentage allowed from 2019 to 2020 by more than 30%, which is incredible. 

Add in the fact that he had his lowest number of penalties since his rookie season 8 years ago and it's clear the Colts really unearthed a cheap, veteran gem to help improve their pass defense. 

Back for another year, the Colts are relying heavily on Rhodes to replicate his 2020 performance, allowing the Colts to once again shut down opposing passing games. 

Have thoughts on Rhodes' ranking by PFF? Drop a line in the comments section below! 

---

Follow Josh on Twitter @ByJoshCarney.

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.