The big unknown on the defensive side of the ball for the Colts lies in the secondary, at both the cornerback and safety positions. Right off the bat, that unit is going to be tested by the Texans’ passing game.
In addition to having CJ Stroud under center, at receiver the Texans’ have Nico Collins, who totaled nearly 1,300 receiving yards in 2023, and Tank Dell, who totaled 709 yards. The duo also combined for 15 touchdowns.
Joining Collins and Dell is Stefon Diggs, who the Texans acquired this offseason via trade from the Buffalo Bills. In each of his previous six seasons, Diggs has eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark, including over 1,400 receiving yards in 2022.
Having Kenny Moore in the nickel and Julian Blackmon at strong safety certainly helps provide some stability to both positions, but collectively this was a secondary in 2023 that battled up and down play, giving up too many big plays while not making enough plays on the football.
With both the cornerback and safety positions largely the same this season as they were a year ago, GM Chris Ballard is banking heavily on the internal development of several young players to elevate the play of this unit.
Now, a credit to JuJu Brents, Jaylon Jones, and Nick Cross, all of whom put together strong training camp performances over the summer. However, we ultimately won’t know if this group made strides–or how big those strides were–until the regular season starts to unfold.
In this game, and through the season, the Colts’ pass rush will have to be the secondary’s best friend. What should be one of the more disruptive units in the NFL will need to play that way on Sunday.
Slowing the running game puts the offense in predictable passing situations, giving the secondary the advantage from a coverage standpoint. While pressure on the quarterback is always good thing, leading to inaccurate passes along with disrupting the timing and rhythm of the play.
Week 2 will bring another early challenge for the Colts’ secondary, as they face Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers’ deep wide receiver room.
