The Indianapolis Colts have put together their initial 53-man roster ahead of the Week 1 matchup with the Miami Dolphins on September 7th. But one of the biggest focuses of the roster was putting together help in the cornerback room.
The team let go of names like Samuel Womack III and JuJu Brents, who were subsequently picked up via waivers by other teams. However, the injuries sustained were also vibrant. Rookie Justin Walley and Jaylon Jones both were injured, as well, with the former out for the year with a torn ACL.
This prompted the Colts to fix the issue by turning to new talents in multiple ways to shore up the cornerback room for Lou Anarumo’s defense.
Former Minnesota Vikings corner Mekhi Blackmon and four-time Pro Bowler from the Miami Dolphins, Xavien Howard, were picked up via trade and free agency to help the stop troops.
Now, with the regular season under two weeks away, both Blackmon and Howard have their official jersey numbers intact on the defense.
Blackmon takes number 29, which former second-round pick, Brents, wore for his two seasons in the Circle City. As for Howard, he takes on an illustrious number formerly worn by soon-to-be Hall of Fame kicker, Adam Vinatieri.
Starting with the former Viking, Blackmon, he didn’t get a chance to play in 2024 due to a torn ACL suffered in training camp. However, the Vikings took him 102nd overall in the third round. Blackmon started off his NFL career well in 2023.
Blackmon put up 41 tackles, three tackles for loss, eight pass breakups, and an interception. Blackmon will look to bounce back after missing the entire season with a new team in Anarumo’s scheme.
As for Howard, he’s put together an impressive career in eight seasons. Howard has stacked four Pro Bowls and two All-Pros (first-team in 2020, second-team in 2018). Howard also led the NFL in picks with seven in 2018 and 10 in 2020.
In 100 career games, Howard has 29 picks, 95 pass breakups, 331 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and four defensive touchdowns (two fumble recoveries and two interceptions). Howard didn’t play in the 2024 season, but similar to Blackmon, will use a new scenery to get back to a positive stride on defense.
These are two names that were essential to add to Anarumo’s ranks given all of the setbacks in the cornerback room. The Colts are entering such a critical season for the team’s future that it was much-needed for the defensive backfield.
The regular season home opener fast approaches, with Indianapolis seeking to break an incredible 12-year drought of winning in Week 1. We’ll see what kind of impact Blackmon and Howard have in the 2025 campaign.
