Colts Secondary Lands Encouraging Take Ahead of 2025 Season

The Indianapolis Colts secondary is on the rise for 2025.

Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II (23) high fives Indianapolis Colts cornerback Samuel Womack III (33) after making an interception at the end of the game Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Heading into this offseason, the Indianapolis Colts needed to do a lot of work on the defensive side of the ball, and definitely within their secondary unit and ability to defend the pass.

That's what ended up headlining the Colts' biggest free agent acquisitions outside of their quarterback addition of Daniel Jones, as this front office was aggressive in their efforts to bring in both cornerback Charvarius Ward and safety Cam Bynum as two major veteran upgrades into this unit for 2025, and two big-time chess pieces to be used by Indianapolis' new defensive coordinator, Lou Anarumo.

New Indianapolis Colts Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo speaks during a press conference Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025 at the Colts practice facility, the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center. | Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

And while it may be early, the Colts' secondary is already looking much better in the eyes of a few major outlets, especially at cornerback.

Pro Football Focus expert John Kosco released a breakdown of the league's top-32 cornerbacks in the NFL, and despite the Colts not having a representative in the top ten, Ward did find his way into the 15th-ranked player at his position in the league, even pinned as a guy to have a potential bounce-back year.

"After seeing his PFF coverage grade rise for five consecutive seasons, culminating in an 86.5 mark in 2023, Ward earned the lowest PFF coverage grade of his career in 2024 (58.2)," Kosco wrote. "He missed multiple games due to either injury or a personal matter, and the 49ers let him test free agency. Ward ranked fifth in 2022 and third in 2023 in PFF advanced coverage grade, so expect a bounce-back year for him in Indianapolis."

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But the praise didn't stop there. The Colts also landed another one of their corners, Kenny Moore, within the rankings, as he brought up the back-end as PFF's 30th-ranked cornerback ahead of next season.

"Moore is one of the better slot cornerbacks in the NFL, ranking 18th in PFF advanced coverage grade and 21st in standard PFF coverage grade (77.6) over the past two years," Kosco continued. "He does well to limit separation but has allowed 11 touchdowns in that span, the fifth most in the league."

Dec 22, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II (23) points to the fans as he leaves the field after winning a game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Grace Hollars/USA Today Network via Imagn Images | Grace Hollars/USA Today Network via Imagn Images

The Colts defense will have a lot of room to grow from where they finished previously. They were the 24th-ranked scoring defense and allowed the 29th-most yards. Anarumo's addition should allow for a massive lift, but having a lockdown corner like Ward could be the biggest catalyst for this Indianapolis unit to elevate into a strong unit.

The true challenge for the Colts' cornerback room in 2025 may be how their depth pans out. Ward and Moore are both significant impact players who should give Indianapolis two starting studs in the unit, but beyond that, things can get shaky.

Regardless, the arrow is trending up for the Colts' defense this season, and for a team that was only one win away from being over .500, fine tuning this side of the ball could be exactly what Indianapolis needed to get back into the playoff mix.