Chris Ballard spent the offseason trying to make the Indianapolis Colts faster and younger on defense, and one of the clearest places that change could show up is in the slot.
That job belonged to Kenny Moore for nearly a decade, but that chapter is over. Moore, a former Pro Bowler, first asked to be traded. When no deal materialized, he then requested his release, and the Colts granted it.
The most likely player to step into that role is Justin Walley. Indianapolis took the second-year corner in the third round of the 2025 draft out of Minnesota, and he turned heads in training camp last year before a torn ACL wiped out his season.
Now, the expectation is that Walley is fully recovered and ready to contribute. He may not be asked to carry the same workload Moore once did, especially in Lou Anarumo’s defense, where nickelback is treated as less central than it was in the past. Moore’s snap share had already dipped below 90 percent for the first time since 2017, so the position was trending toward a lighter load anyway.
That’s where Walley fits. He won’t be replacing Moore’s overall importance from 2018 through 2024, but he should bring more speed to the snaps he does play.
And speed matters. The Colts were hit hard by injuries last season, which undercut the defense, but they also simply didn’t have enough high-end burst on that side of the ball.
The league has made that point pretty clear. The Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans showed last season that speed is a requirement for a defense that wants to keep up in today’s game. Indianapolis finished in the bottom half of the league in a lot of defensive categories, but that picture could change quickly in 2026 if younger, more athletic pieces like Walley and linebacker CJ Allen are part of the mix.
That all assumes the Colts get better health from key players such as Sauce Gardner, Charvarius Ward, and DeForest Buckner. If that happens, the defense should be in better shape. Add Walley’s speed into the equation, and the odds of improvement go up again.
And if the defense is better, and Daniel Jones avoids another injury, Indianapolis has a real chance to be a better team overall. Even with a long list of injuries in 2025, the Colts were in the playoff race almost to the end. With better health and more speed, they should be back in the postseason.
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