Colts Given Questionable Choice On NFL Offseason To-Do List

The Indianapolis Colts are tasked with bringing a veteran player back to their defense in a recent NFL-wide to-do list.

Oct 6, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Indianapolis Colts cornerback Stephon Gilmore (5) intercepts a pass intended for Denver Broncos wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland (16) in the fourth quarter at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Throughout the entire offseason, the majority of those who study the Indianapolis Colts have looked at the team's roster and said that the secondary is the most vulnerable area. Add a veteran cornerback. Add a veteran safety. Whatever, do both – but the resounding takeaway has been that the defense needs some reliability in the back end.

With the exceptions of seasoned players like Kenny Moore II and Julian Blackmon, the Colts relied substantially on first and second-year players to carry the load last season, and their youth was exposed when injuries dictated who had to be on the field.

The Colts have stood firm after general manager Chris Ballard declared last offseason that the team was intentionally going young in the secondary as they continue to acknowledge the young group that they have. It's not lip service either, as the team has drafted eight defensive backs in the last three drafts and picked up about a half-dozen others through free agency or waivers.

From a national perspective, on paper, the Colts have to do something about the youth in their secondary. Locally, the message is loud and clear that the team wants to stand pat with what they have.

Recently, Bleacher Report produced a list of one move that each of the 32 teams in the NFL needs to do before training camp begins, and it's no surprise that, for the Colts, they listed signing a veteran cornerback as the task. What may be surprising, however, is specifically which player they picked:

Indianapolis Colts: Bring back Stephon Gilmore

Cornerback was expected to be one of the Colts' top priorities in the NFL draft, but the front office didn't select one until the fifth round. At this stage in the game, the team's best option is to reunite with Gilmore who had two interceptions and 11 passes defended in Gus Bradley's system a couple of years ago.

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Generally, a team in the Colts' situation signing a veteran like Stephon Gilmore wouldn't be a bad idea. His one year for them in 2022 is on the shortlist of best seasons for a Colts cornerback in franchise history, and Pro Football Focus ranks it as one of the best in his Hall-of-Fame career. However, the team parted ways with the soon-to-be-34-year-old just last offseason. The Colts honored Gilmore's request to be traded, sending him to greener pastures with the Dallas Cowboys, who were considered a good situation for Gilmore as a potential Super Bowl contender.

Gilmore had a solid year in Dallas, starting all 17 games and totaling a career-best 68 tackles to go with a pair of interceptions and 13 pass breakups, but he is now in the twilight of his career where he'll likely only be signing one-year deals until it's time to retire.

The Colts appear to be letting Jaylon Jones and Dallis Flowers duke it out to start at outside corner opposite Moore and JuJu Brents. Brents is a former second-round pick who played solid in limited action as a rookie last year, while Moore just became one of the more handsomely-paid corners in the league this offseason, so their spots in the lineup aren't in question. Flowers was a starter last year before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 5, which opened the door for Jones to take people by surprise as a rookie seventh-round pick.

Both Flowers and Jones have enough upside for the Colts not to want to upset the applecart by bringing in a veteran like Gilmore, who they almost certainly would have to start.

Are the Colts in a better situation now than they were fresh off of the disaster that was 2022? Absolutely. However, a team whose intention is to be young at a certain position group likely isn't going to go for the oldest starter in the NFL.

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