According to NFL.com’s Kevin Patra, the Indianapolis Colts adding a veteran cornerback remains the team’s ‘biggest remaining offseason priority’:

Indianapolis Colts

Top priority: Add a veteran corner to the mix.

The Colts’ defensive front seven is deep and potentially dynamic. The back end, however, harbors questions as it leans on youth. Second-year pro JuJu Brents and undrafted third-year corner Dallis Flowers are in line to start on the outside alongside slot maven Kenny Moore II. Tack on Nick Cross, potentially taking on a bigger role in safety, and there could be growing pains in the secondary. Adding a veteran corner to help shepherd the group would make sense. Might Indy consider bringing Stephon Gilmore back to help stabilize a young corner crew in a hotly contested division?

Comparatively, personally, I would go with starting safety in the Colts young secondary as the team’s biggest remaining roster need, particularly when considering the overall depth and starting caliber talent at each position respectively.

However, it’s not as though the Colts couldn’t seemingly use some help at outside cornerback either—particularly regarding adding a proven and experienced option to help mentor a young room and add veteran insurance. It would be similar to the Colts adding either Xavier Rhodes or Stephon Gilmore in more recent seasons respectively—which each veteran signing seemed to work out well in the short-term as stopgaps.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard appears bullish on the young corner group’s ability though, which includes last year’s 2nd round pick JuJu Brents, 2nd-year corner Jaylon Jones, and the returning Dallis Flowers, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury.

However, the unit’s depleted depth was a re-occurring issue last year, and that young outside trio has just 23 starts between them combined—meaning they remain a bit ‘green’ going forward into 2024. The Colts have done little to significantly address the position, only adding Marshall rookie Micah Abraham in the 6th round of the recent 2024 NFL Draft.

In addition to ex-Colts cornerback Stephon Gilmore, there are a number of other veteran free agent options still available including former Miami Dolphin Xavien Howard, the Texans Steven Nelson, the New York Giants Adoree’ Jackson, veteran Marcus Peters, and the Pittsburgh Steelers Patrick Peterson among others.

Time will tell whether the Colts ultimately make a late veteran offseason addition to their young cornerback room, but it may be a prudent idea given their inexperienced depth.