The Colts secondary has been hit hard by injuries this preseason. Rookie standout Justin Walley is out for the season with a torn ACL, nickel Kenny Moore II is nursing a knee injury and Jaylon Jones and JuJu Brents both have been out for a while with hamstring injuries.
To supplement the depth chart, Indy signed veteran cornerback Xavien Howard to a one-year deal worth up to $5 million, according to multiple reports.
Howard is 32 years old and hasn’t played in an NFL game in over two seasons. But current Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo knows exactly what Howard is going to bring to Indianapolis.
“We brought him here for a reason,” Anarumo said about Howard, who he worked with as a defensive backs coach in Miami for two seasons. “He can go get the ball. And he’s proven throughout his NFL career that he’s been an elite interceptor. So we’re hoping…that we can grt some of those interceptions going.”
Howard, a former All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, has 29 career interceptions in eight seasons. The former Dolphin has led the league in interceptions twice, in 2017 (7) and 2020 (10).
But ever since his arrival in Indianapolis, Anarumo has not messed around when adding talent to the defense. His first two free agent signings brought Charvarius Ward and Cam Bynum into a secondary needing an injection of veteran experience.
Howard’s arrival signals a strong message from Anarumo— the Colts are no longer going to sit back and be passive, rather they’re going to be aggressive in the pursuit of players they identify as contributors.
The signing of a veteran of Howard’s caliber is not something that general manager Chris Ballard has tended to do in the past. If it were solely up to him, the team would likely peruse the waiver wire for some potential competition, or simply lean on the guys already in the building.
Howard’s talent and familiarity with Anarumo are both undeniable The only true hang up is his lack of recent playing time, something Anarumo dismissed as non-concerning.
“Last year we worked him out with the Bengals,” he said. “I’ve seen him move a little bit, he looks good…one thing I know is his ball skills do not go away with time.”
Howard is likely to be the second perimeter starting corner opposite Charvarius Ward, assuming he’s able to get up to speed in time.