The Indianapolis Colts made a big splash addition to their secondary last week when they signed cornerback Stephon Gilmore to a two-year deal.
After trading away Rock Ya-Sin to the Las Vegas Raiders as compensation for defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, the cornerback position quickly became one of the biggest needs on the roster.
But the Colts went after Gilmore—even sending Jim Irsay’s jet to pick him up for the visit. When it was all said and done, Gilmore felt Indy was the right choice.
“I think the visit last week – me coming down, meeting with the coaches and Chris (Ballard). It just felt right. The opportunity, the potential the team had, talking to my family making sure it was the right opportunity for us also,” Gilmore told reporters last week. “So, I’m looking forward to it because I think the future here is bright. That’s one of the opportunities that I made the decision to come here.”
The five-time Pro Bowler and former Defensive Player of the Year adds a big boost to a young secondary. Now, the Colts have a bonafide starter on the boundary while Brandon Facyson and Isaiah Rodgers battle it out for the other boundary spot in nickel packages.
When it comes to the scheme change, Gilmore will be playing a lot more zone than he has in the past. Given his skills as a man coverage corner, that’s the role teams typically employed for him.
But Gilmore believes working with a zone mindset for the majority of his reps makes life a bit easier.
“I think zone to be honest with you, is a little easier because you’re not as stressed. Obviously, you’ve got to rep it each and every day to get better and better – knowing where your help is and things like that,” Gilmore said. “I think the more and more you rep it, the better and better you’re going to get. I think that’s with anybody, not just because a certain guy plays a certain position or certain style of play. You just have to rep it each and every day.”
The Colts are still likely to add some depth to the cornerback room at some point during the 2022 NFL draft, but the addition of Gilmore is a big one and shouldn’t be overlooked when reviewing Chris Ballard’s offseason moves.
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