The Indianapolis Colts are hoping veteran cornerback Xavier Rhodes can bounce back in 2020 after a down year while also providing a veteran presence in the secondary.
Now the oldest player in the Colts cornerback room, Rhodes is ready to embrace the leadership and mentor role for the younger players in the room as he hopes to bounce back from what was arguably his worst season in the NFL.
“It’s great to have those types of guys on the defense, because they know what it takes to win, they know what it takes to be the best,” Rhodes told Matt Taylor of the team’s website. “We can teach the younger guys how to be pros, how to be professionals and how to get to that level, and once you have a whole team of guys wanting to work that hard and accomplish that and we’re all on one page and one accord, the sky’s the limit.”
After cutting Pierre Desir, the Colts needed to bring in another veteran piece to the secondary. While the numbers of the contract haven’t been released yet, it seems the Colts will essentially be replacing Desir with Rhodes while saving roughly $2 million in salary cap space.
Rhodes has earned three Pro Bowl nods and was an All-Pro in 2017 while showing he can effectively be one of the top man coverage corners in the game. That might not be his style now, especially with the Colts running a majority of zone. But the switch to zone should have a beneficial impact on his game.
The Colts have seemingly gone all-in as they push for the top spot of the AFC South, and Rhodes is hoping he can provide a veteran presence while aiding the defense toward that goal.
“The coaches seem excited and are willing to have me there with the guys, and also just being a vet on the team, just being to coach the young guys and trying to get these guys, trying to get the organization, to the playoffs and the Super Bowl,” Rhodes said.
It will be interesting to see how the Colts will go about the draft and addressing the cornerback room, but Rhodes is certainly going to have an impact one way or another.