The Indianapolis Colts lost a promising rookie in Baltimore, leaving uncertainty at a key starting spot heading into the season.
Rookie cornerback Justin Walley suffered a torn ACL in the team’s joint practice against the Ravens on Tuesday, Colts coach Shane Steichen said after the team’s 24-16 loss to Baltimore to open the preseason, ending his season before it began.
Walley, had taken control of the battle for the starting outside cornerback spot alongside Charvarius Ward and Kenny Moore II.
Walley, a third-round pick out of Minnesota, had been one of the biggest surprises of the offseason.
Drafted for his instincts, versatility and ball skills, Walley immediately got the coaching staff’s attention by making a handful of interceptions in offseason practices, impressing the Colts so much that he opened training camp as the starter on the outside, ahead of both incumbent Jaylon Jones and former second-round pick JuJu Brents.
Walley held that spot through the first two weeks of training camp.
“His man-coverage skills were great,” Steichen said. “He was making a ton of plays in practice.”
Walley’s injury decimates a position the Colts tried to overload with new talent this offseason in an effort to get better play in the secondary.
Brents and Jones are currently out with hamstring injuries. Jones is dealing with an injury that is more severe than his teammate’s, but Brents has struggled with injuries throughout his three seasons in Indianapolis.
Colts cornerback depth chart
The Colts still have top-line talent at the position.
Moore has been a foundational piece for the Indianapolis defense for nearly a decade, and the Colts beat New Orleans in a bidding war to get Ward this offseason, giving the former 49er a three-year deal worth up to $54 million to get a true No. 1 cornerback on the outside.
But Indianapolis needs somebody to emerge on the other side, a spot that will likely be targeted by opposing offenses, considering Ward’s reputation as a shutdown cornerback.
“We’ve got to stay healthy at that position,” Steichen said. “Obviously, getting Mooney (Ward) was a big signing, but we’ve got three guys down that were competing for a starting job right now.”
Jones may be the key.
Drafted in the seventh round two years ago, Jones has stepped into the gap left by Brents’s absences and turned in two solid years as an up-and-coming starter.
How he recovers from his hamstring injury could determine the team’s need at the position. Indianapolis still has Samuel Womack III, who started eight games last season, and the Colts signed veterans Tre Herndon and Duke Shelley last week.
Indianapolis signed veteran Corey Ballentine in the offseason, but Ballentine was cut loose last week to make room for special teamer Chris Lammons.
Walley’s injury could force the Colts to look for more help on the outside.
“We’ll evaluate,” Steichen said. “Obviously, Chris and his staff, we’re always looking. We’ve got some guys on the roster that we’ve got to develop.”
The Colts thought they’d overloaded the cornerback position with enough help this offseason that they wouldn’t be in this position again.
But injuries have a way of altering a team’s best-laid plans.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts lose promising rookie CB Justin Walley for the season due to a knee injury; what it means
Reporting by Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
