Colts' Justin Walley Opens Up About Facing Massive Adversity

Cornerback Justin Walley is entering his second season with the Indianapolis Colts, but this will essentially be his rookie year after his first season ended before it began when he tore his ACL late in training camp.

This is a brutal start to any professional athlete's career, but especially for Walley, who had carved out a major role for himself as a rookie thanks to a promising showing in training camp. The Colts had taken Walley in the third round (80th overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft, and had big plans for him early on.

Walley's short career thus far has been marred by injury. He had a broken wrist when the Colts drafted him and had to play through the late stages of his rehab during the summer as a rookie. Then, just as he was finding normalcy, his aforementioned major leg injury reset his clock entirely.

Fast forward to 2026 OTAs, and Justin Walley is fully cleared and ready to get to work. The second-year cornerback revealed during his media availability after OTA practice on Wednesday that he has been cleared for almost a month now and that he's feeling the best he has in quite some time.

“I feel great. I’m blessed – back on the field, back going. That’s all I could ask for," said Walley after OTA practice on Wednesday.

“I talked to the trainers the other day. I kind of feel better than I felt at this point last year. My strength went up in both of my legs. Overall, I feel better – my whole body.”

Rehabbing any injury is first and foremost a physically demanding experience, but the mental toll it takes on an athlete is half the battle, especially when it comes to a budding pro in his first season like Walley was.

Not only was this setback a physical hindrance, but Walley quickly learned that he needed to maintain a fortified mind if he wanted to enter year two on a high note. He claims he was able to navigate these murky waters thanks to a newfound outlook and that he is better off for it.

“I learned that I’m more mentally tough than I thought I was. I kind of never have really been challenged in my life with injuries before. It was a new challenge in my life, but I overcame it and I am better now," Walley explained.

Although his newly established self is poised to take on a starting role in his first year of play, Walley said that his expectations for himself in this upcoming season remain the same as they've always been.

“Really the same expectations I’ve had my whole life. Come in there, be detailed, do my job, have fun and bring some energy," said Walley.

It's promising that Walley is both healthy to kick off OTAs and determined to continue what he started as a rookie in training camp, because he has some massive shoes to fill.

Walley is slated to replace longtime starter and leader Kenny Moore II in the slot after Moore II was released earlier this month. Moore II had been on the trade block throughout the offseason, but after nothing materialized in the NFL Draft, both sides agreed that a release would best serve the veteran.

The second-year cornerback was getting some real run at defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's CB2 spot alongside Charvarius Ward Sr. throughout training camp before he became injured and before the Colts traded a haul for star cornerback Sauce Gardner at the trade deadline in the regular season.

He was set to become a rotational piece for the cornerback room before Moore II expressed his plans to play elsewhere, but is now the de facto starter in the slot for 2026.

What's Next?

Indianapolis Colts cornerback Justin Walley (27) rushes up the field Indianapolis Colts safety Rodney Thomas II (25) on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, during NFL Colts mandatory mini camp at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center in Indianapolis. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Walley will still have to earn his projected role, but Lou Anarmo and head coach Shane Steichen are equal parts excited and confident that he'll get the job done.

“It could be really special. I mean, he’s got great movement skills, he’s really sticky in coverage," Steichen explained after practice on Wednesday.

"Very cerebral too, he’s a smart player – understands leverage, understands coverages, matchups, all those different things. So, it will be good to have him back.”

Lou Anarumo shared the same sentiment regarding Walley's advancement as a young player in a recent interview on The Colts Show, citing a string of promising moments against Lamar Jackson and Co. during the Colts' joint practice against the Baltimore Ravens last summer, which convinced him of Walley's talents.

"He's got a ton of energy in everything he does. I was really disappointed for him, and for us, that he got injured," Anarumo explained.

"I've said it since the play happened at Baltimore -- as a rookie, we're in some sort of team drill against them at Baltimore, Lamar [Jackson] sees a rookie out there with Rashod Bateman, and most rookies would've had their eyes in the backfield and gotten beat, but Walley matched the double move, came out of it, ran down the field and broke the pass up, and I was like, 'We've got one.'"

The job won't be given to him, but Justin Walley has the coaching staff on his side. Not only that, but he's entering the summer on a high note with no nagging injuries to hold him back.

All signs are pointing toward a strong first season of play for Justin Walley, with this summer serving as the first test of such promise.

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