Tag: khari willis

PFF is not bullish on the Colts’ secondary

PFF placed Indy’s secondary in the ‘serious flaws’ tier.

The Indianapolis Colts secondary has gone through some big changes over the course of the offseason, and Pro Football Focus doesn’t seem too bullish on the current makeup of the room.

While the unit did add five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Stephon Gilmore on a two-year deal, Pro Football Focus has the Colts secondary ranked 23rd in the NFL while leading the tier labeled “Serious Flaws.”

23. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
CB: Stephon Gilmore
CB: Isaiah Rodgers
NCB: Kenny Moore II
S: Rodney McLeod
S: Julian Blackmon

Before the Stephon Gilmore signing, this unit was trending toward uncertainty. Gilmore was still very much an elite cornerback when healthy last season, although it wasn’t widely talked about because he was doing it on a hapless Panthers team. He finished with the ninth-highest coverage grade in the NFL.

The signing of Gilmore really boosts this unit’s stock, and he’ll need to stay healthy in order for the group to reach its ceiling. Isaiah Rodgers is one of the most underrated cornerbacks in the league and appears on his way toward a breakout campaign.

Meanwhile, we are still waiting on an update about Kenny Moore’s contract situation. If the Colts stand pat on the deal he currently has, there is a chance Moore is advised to hold out of training camp. We probably won’t know much until closer to training camp.

The safety room took a pretty big hit this offseason when starter Khari Willis surprisingly retired. They are likely to rely on veteran Rodney McLeod to fill the void while rookie Nick Cross waits in the wings to be the starter.

The Colts secondary will be tested plenty against a strong group of wide receivers in 2022, but there is still plenty of upside in both the cornerback and safety rooms entering the new season.

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4 free-agent safeties the Colts could sign

Here are four free-agent safeties the Colts could sign after Khari Willis’ retirement.

The Indianapolis Colts lost a key member of their secondary this week when Khari Willis announced his surprise retirement from the NFL after just three seasons.

The Colts already have a long-term plan in place to take over the strong safety role. Looking back on it, the trade-up for Nick Cross in the 2022 NFL draft appears better and better every day. But it still wouldn’t be a surprise if the Colts looked to add some veteran depth in free agency.

They did so earlier this offseason by bringing in Rodney McLeod and Armani Watts. The latter, however, is likely to play mostly on special teams in the “George Odum role.” McLeod could certainly see time at strong safety until the Colts feel Cross is ready to take over the starting role.

But if the front office felt the need to add another enforcer in the safety room, there are some options to consider in free agency. None of them are all that exciting—they are still free agents for a reason. But depth is necessary in order to avoid situations like bringing Andrew Sendejo off the street in 2021.

So while Cross and McLeod are likely to handle the bulk of the work, here are four free-agent safeties the Colts could sign:

Frank Reich’s statement on Khari Willis’ retirement

Here’s what Frank Reich had to say about Khari Willis’ retirement.

Former Indianapolis Colts safety Khari Willis called it a career Wednesday as he looks forward to pursuing a career in ministry.

If there’s anyone who understands that calling, it’s head coach Frank Reich, who served as a pastor for several years following his playing career.

Here’s what Reich had to say in a statement about Willis’ decision to retire Wednesday:

We’re thankful and appreciative of Khari’s contributions to the Colts both on and off the field over the last three seasons. Khari’s character, leadership, and professionalism will be missed in our locker room as will his play on Sundays. I admire and respect his decision to transition into the next stage of his life and ministry and my prayers will always be with him.

The Colts may have had an idea Willis was leaning this way considering he was excused from the offseason workout program. They have an exciting rookie in Nick Cross waiting in the wings, and this likely opens the door for the third-round pick to have a more immediate impact.

Willis’ retirement left roughly $2.5 million on the table as he entered the final year of his rookie contract, which is another reason to believe his conviction in calling it a career at the age of 26.

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Khari Willis’ retirement saves Colts roughly $2.5 million

Colts save roughly $2.5 million after Khari Willis’ retirement.

The retirement of former Indianapolis Colts safety Khari Willis is expected to save the team roughly $2.5 million against the salary cap.

If there were any questions about Willis’ conviction to retire and pursue a career in ministry, those would be silenced by the fact that he left more money on the table in 2022 than he had made in his first three NFL seasons combined.

The Colts do take on $192,009 in dead cap due to the signing bonus that had already been paid out when Willis was selected in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL draft.

While the move will open a spot in the safety room, the team is hoping rookie Nick Cross can take on the role as the starter sooner rather than later in 2022.

There’s a chance the team adds some more depth to the position, but Cross is likely the one to step in with Willis pursuing another calling.

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How the Colts can replace retired S Khari Willis

Who will replace Khari Willis?

Indianapolis Colts safety Khari Willis announced some shocking news Wednesday when he officially decided to retire as he pursues a career in ministry.

The Colts are no strangers to early retirements and it would explain Willis’ excused absence during the spring workouts. But now, the Colts are without a starting strong safety going into the 2022 season.

There’s a chance they still add some depth in free agency, but there’s one player in mind that is likely going to see his development get fast-tracked now that Willis has retired.

Rookie third-round pick Nick Cross.

Though he doesn’t even turn 21 years old until September, the Colts are extremely high on the upside of the Maryland product. They traded a future third-round pick in order to select him in the 2022 NFL draft this April.

Cross is the ideal replacement for Willis. At 6’0″ and 212 pounds, Cross has the size to play near the line of scrimmage. But his elite athleticism offers more than just a box safety. Cross can also play a deep half safety role if the Colts need him to.

(Courtesy of Kent Lee Platte)

Cross still has plenty of development ahead and there are likely to be growing pains along the way. As stated earlier, he’s not even 21 years old yet. Growing pains through his development are only going to be natural.

It will be interesting to see how quickly Cross can develop into the starter, but we might be seeing more of him than we expected when he was first drafted.

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How Twitter reacted to Khari Willis’ retirement

Here’s how Twitter reacted to Colts S Khari Willis calling it a career.

Indianapolis Colts safety Khari Willis retired from the NFL on Wednesday, which was a surprising move, to say the least.

As the team will be looking to replace the former fourth-round pick, they will have some options to consider. The most likely path will be furthering the development of rookie third-round pick Nick Cross.

But before we get into that, here’s how Twitter reacted to the news that Willis is retiring from the NFL at the young age of 26:

Former Spartan Khari Willis officially announces retirement from the NFL

Khari Willis has decided to retire from the NFL at the age of 26

In a bit of shocking news, former Spartan Khari Willis, who has been on the Indianapolis Colts for his entire professional career, will be officially retiring from the NFL at the age of 26.

I call this shocking, because Willis has largely been a starter for the Colts even going back to his rookie season. He started in 10 of 11 games last year, recording 2 interceptions and 63 tackles.

You can see the statement that Willis released on his Instagram page below:

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Colts’ Khari Willis retires from NFL

Khari Willis is retiring from the NFL.

Indianapolis Colts safety Khari Willis is retiring from the NFL, he announced via Instagram on Wednesday.

Willis said in the post that he is retiring from the NFL to “devote the remainder of my life to the further advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Here is his full statement via Instagram:

I’d first like to thank the Indianapolis Colts organization for granting me the opportunity to compete in the National Football League the past three vears. I’ve built lifelong relationships with numerous teammates, coaches and support staff that have impacted me greatly. The lessons that I’ve learned in this phase of mv life will be valuable for me in mv next chapter. With much prayer and deliberation, I have elected to officiallv retire from the NFL as I endeavor to devote the remainder of mv life to the further advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I thank all of my family, friends and those who have supported me on this journev thus far and I look forward to vour continued support through the next phase of my life. I am both humbled and excited to pursue the holy call that God has for my life which brings me much joy and purpose. Thank you all for your support over the years…

God Bless,
Khari Willis

This is a big shock for the Colts and one that will have a massive impact on the defensive side of the ball. A former fourth-round pick in 2019, Willis played  major role since he was drafted.

With Willis now retiring, the Colts are likely lean more on veteran Rodney McLeod while rookie third-round pick Nick Cross develops into the starting role.

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Colts’ Khari Willis had excused absence from minicamp

Khari Willis was not in attendance at minicamp due to a personal matter.

Indianapolis Colts safety Khari Willis was not among those in attendance for the start of mandatory minicamp Tuesday, and it was due to a personal matter.

While teams can fine players for not attending mandatory minicamp, this won’t be the case for Willis because his absence was excused by the team.

It isn’t clear when Willis will return to the team this offseason. It may be during minicamp or not at all until training camp.

Regardless, Willis is going into a big contract year where he will look to stay healthy and earn another contract with the team that drafted him in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL draft.

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Winners and losers from Colts’ 2022 draft

Taking a look at the winners and losers from the Colts’ 2022 draft.

The Indianapolis Colts completed their eight-player class in the 2022 NFL draft and while there’s a long way to go before camp battles determine several roster spots, we can already see which players may be impacted by the picks.

The Colts are also set to add a massive group of undrafted rookie free agents to the roster so we may already see the impact of the additions when the team has to make moves for the incoming players.

It should be known that these are viewed more on a projection basis. We have no idea how the rookies will pan out but given what we do know, we can make educated projections as to how these players may impact the roster and players at several positions.

With a clearer focus on the draft class now in hand, here’s a look at the winners and losers from the 2022 draft: