The Colts’ outside cornerback position has seen its fair share of ailments and troubles, and Marcus Peters may provide seasoned depth, ball skills, and proven starting experience.
Despite some early-season issues at the position, the Indianapolis Colts have recently seen improved play, even if there are still some growing pains:
Gus Bradley acknowledged there are still some growing pains at outside cornerback, but they are diminishing, allowing the seasoned pass rush to feast.
They still have space to improve after allowing Mike Evans to get wide open for two touchdowns on Sunday.
However, starting rookie cornerback Julius Brents is slated to miss his sixth straight game with a nagging quad ailment, and the Colts could be one injury away from repeating a possible disaster in their secondary (for a league position that is prone to getting dinged up).
Rookie late-round draft pick Jaylon Jones has been a revelation at the position, and despite a tough start to the season, D.J. Baker’s coverage for the Colts has improved recently. During the interval, Tony Brown, a core special teamer, would presumably be ‘the next man up’ on the depth chart. Brown failed horribly against the New Orleans Saints in Week 8, and the Colts might not want him back.
Former Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Marcus Peters is a potential proven veteran depth option for the Colts who may be hoping to join a playoff contender for the season’s final stretch push.
The 6’0,” 197-pound cornerback was originally drafted in the fir
st round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, when Colts general manager Chris Ballard was a member of their front office. He has also played for the Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Ravens, and, most recently, the Las Vegas Raiders.
The three-time NFL All-Pro is 30 years old and certainly isn’t what he once was, but he can still aid a team as a seasoned cornerback with 115 career starts.
Peters played 91% of the Raiders’ defensive snaps this season, but was recently benched by new head coach Antonio Pierce in Week 12 for reportedly a lack of effort before being fired. It could have been the same.
The current effort concerns are concerning, notably his willingness to give his body in run support—a requirement for any Colts cornerback. That being said, would Peters be more focused on Indy with a potential AFC playoff push to conclude the season?Peters had a +68.8 overall grade—including a +71.3 coverage grade—with the Raiders during 12 starts this season, according to PFF (subscription). He also recorded 43 tackles (28 solo), an interception, and 5 pass breakups.
Peters has always had great ball skills (returning an interception for a score with the Raiders) and might provide some proven experienced depth to the Colts cornerback room—even if it does come with some additional ‘large personality.
