Seven free-agent options to add depth for Colts at cornerback

Ben Arthur

AFC South Reporter

The Colts‘ cornerback room already faced uncertainty.

Now, it’s a pressing concern.

Isaiah Rodgers Sr.‘s status is up in the air amid an investigation into whether he violated the league’s gambling policy. After Stephon Gilmore‘s departure, Rodgers had been pegged as Indianapolis’ top returning outside cornerback, a leader in a room filled with unproven youth.

Beyond seventh-year veteran Kenny Moore, primarily a nickelback, the cornerback room features three rookie draft picks (second-rounder JuJu Brents, fifth-rounder Darius Rush, seventh-rounder Jaylon Jones) and a combined seven NFL starts. And Brents, who had wrist surgery in March, isn’t expected to be on the field until the start of training camp.

“I think everything stays the same,” Moore said when asked if his leadership role grows under the current circumstances. “We all walk as one, side by side.”

But the Colts could clearly use another cornerback at their hip.

Here are seven free-agent cornerback options for Indianapolis ahead of training camp, which starts in late July:

Marcus Peters
Age: 30
Last team: Ravens
2022 stats (13 games): 47 tackles, 6 PBUs, 2 FFs, INT

Peters would give defensive coordinator Gus Bradley someone who’s shown proficiency making plays on the ball, which the Colts lacked last season.

Peters has 32 interceptions in seven NFL seasons, including a league-high eight en route to AP Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2015. He has five picks in the past two seasons he has played (2020, 2022). Indianapolis in 2022 had just 10 interceptions, tied for 24th in the league.

Peters has been known to gamble at times on the field, but given his production historically and coming off a 13-game season following a torn ACL in 2021, he’d be a sensible option at this point in free agency for the cornerback-needy Colts.

NFL investigating Colts CB Isaiah Rodgers

The NFL is investigating Colts defensive back Isaiah Rodgers for potential violations of the league’s gambling policy. Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe react to the investigation.

Eli Apple
Age: 27
Last team: Bengals
2022 stats (15 games): 49 tackles, 8 PBUs

Yes, Apple’s antics are a bit much at times. He’s never lived up to being a top-10 pick. But he re-established himself as a starting-caliber cornerback with the Bengals the past two seasons. He recorded two interceptions, 18 pass breakups and 98 tackles across 30 starts with Cincinnati.

The former Giants first-rounder, still just 27, would give Indianapolis some needed edge in a cornerback room that is very young.

Casey Hayward Jr.
Age: 33
Last team: Falcons
2022 stats (6 games): 17 tackles, 3 PBUs, INT

There are natural concerns with Hayward, considering his age and coming off a season in which he missed 11 games due to a shoulder injury. But he’s still been a very productive player when he has been on the field. In 2021, his last full season (17 starts with the Raiders), Hayward played the third-most snaps among all cornerbacks (1,091) and had the eighth-highest coverage grade among those at his position who played at least 936 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

Bradley was Hayward’s defensive coordinator for four seasons with the Chargers (2017-20), so Hayward already has familiarity with the scheme, too.

Fabian Moreau
Age: 29
Last team: Giants
2022 stats (14 games): 66 tackles, 10 PBUs

The 29-year old Moreau would give the Colts a veteran cornerback who’s coming off one of his best seasons as a pro. A former third-round pick, Moreau had a career-high 66 tackles and 10 pass breakups, second-most of his career, in 14 games with the Giants in 2022.

The 6-foot, 204-pounder has 90 games of experience with three teams (Commanders, Falcons, Giants). More than half of his starts have come in the past two seasons.

Anthony Brown
Age: 29
Last team: Cowboys
2022 stats (12 games): 42 tackles, 7 PBUs, FF

Similar to Moreau, the 29-year-old Brown has had a heavy chunk of his starting experience come in the past two seasons. The former Cowboys cornerback has started 28 games in that span. Dating back to 2020, Brown has started his last 35 regular-season appearances.

A former sixth-round pick, Brown has made 94 NFL appearances, including 69 starts.

Bradley Roby
Age: 31
Last team: Saints
2022 stats (13 games): 36 tackles, 5 PBUs

At 5-foot-11 and 194 pounds, Roby wouldn’t give the Colts ideal size at cornerback, especially considering the diminutive Moore (5-foot-9, 190) is already pegged to play meaningful snaps. But the 31-year-old Roby has the versatility to play inside and out, and he has started at least 10 games in four of the past five seasons.

Troy Hill
Age: 31
Last team: Rams
2022 stats (12 games): 67 tackles, 4 PBUs, INT

Hill (5-foot-11, 183 pounds) is another smaller cornerback, but he played outside on more than 64% of his snaps with the Rams last season, according to Pro Football Focus. The 31-year-old started all 12 of his appearances with Los Angeles in 2022.

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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