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The Colts 2022 season was about as disastrous from top to bottom as we’ve seen from a single team in quite some time. One of the biggest disappointments, without question, was cornerback Kenny Moore. The 27-year old was coming off a Pro Bowl selection in 2021 which brought about big expectations for him. In 2022, Moore played in just 12 games before suffering an ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve. In those 12 games, he tallied just 65 tackles, four passes defensed and a sack. It was a letdown in every sense of the word and put even more onus on a bounce back year in 2023, a contract year on top of that.
The pressure ramped up even more when Isaiah Rodgers was indefinitely suspended and then released by the Colts for gambling on NFL games. Rodgers expected to be the other starting cornerback with Moore and with his departure a thin position for the Colts got even thinner and the lack of veteran leadership pretty much starts and stops with Moore.
Can he get back on track in 2023?
For both his and the Colts’ sake the answer has to be yes. If he wants to earn another big money contract with the Colts or another NFL franchise then he needs to play more like his 2021 self (101 tackles, 13 passes defensed, 4 sacks) than 2022. The lack of depth at cornerback is one of the biggest weaknesses for the Colts heading into training camp and if Moore looks more like last season’s version and hasn’t fully recovered from his ankle injury then it could be a very long, very frustrating season for both he and the team.
Kenny Moore will be tasked with covering the top wide receivers on opposing teams. This year that list includes some of the best in the NFL: Calvin Ridley, Odell Beckham Jr., Cooper Kupp, DeAndre Hopkins, Amari Cooper, Davante Adams, Ja’Marr Chase, to name a few. While the opposing teams as a whole may be beatable on paper, the wide receivers some of those teams possess could be a nightmare for an inexperienced cornerback group.
If the Colts are going to stay in games this season, a lot of that is going to be based on the secondary, and specifically, Kenny Moore’s ability, to keep the top wide receivers under control. It’s one of the main storylines heading into camp and will be one of the main focuses in the 2023 season. A solid return by Moore could mean a lot for the Colts, whether that means having a legit long-term answer at a premium position that they can lock up to a new deal or a trade piece at the deadline if it looks like they could get a serious return for him from a playoff contender.
If it resembles 2022 then both sides are going to be looking for new solutions in 2024.
