The Colts are already without Dallis Flowers and could be without JuJu Brents, who missed practice Wednesday and Thursday with a quad injury, this weekend against the New Orleans Saints.
As the team’s depth at outside corner is being tested, the Colts discussed moving Kenny Moore II from the slot to outside corner on a full-time basis – but it doesn’t sound like that’s a path the team will follow.
“Obviously, Kenny can play outside, but now the inside portion and how valuable he is on the inside – now you’re getting him out there in 11 personnel and then at nickel – all the pieces to that,” defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. “I’m not going to lie, I think we looked at that. We’re still discussing what’s the best for the team. I would anticipate him probably playing more inside just because he’s so valuable for us there.”
Entering Week 8, about 80 percent of Moore’s snaps have been in the slot, per Pro Football Focus. That roughly mirrors how much the Colts play nickel or dime (five-plus defensive backs), which is about 76 percent, per NFL research. So when the Colts have two cornerbacks on the field, Moore plays outside; with three cornerbacks on the field, he plays inside.
This isn’t new, certainly. But Moore is back to being one of the NFL’s top slot corners in 2023, with 46 tackles (most among cornerbacks), seven tackles for a loss (most among cornerbacks) and a 76.6 passer rating when targeted out of the slot (lowest among cornerbacks). Defensive backs coach Ron Milus values not only Moore’s ability to cover slot receivers, but his intellect and physicality to make him a force against the run.
“Not a lot of guys in that position can do those things,” Milus said. “At the end of the day he’s one of the better ones I’ve been around.”
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