Colts have gotten younger at expense of longstanding veteran pillars

Q: Why did the Colts release Kenny Moore II?

The Colts released Kenny Moore II after failing to find a suitable trade partner, as he requested a change of scenery and the team aimed to honor his request.

Q: Who are the key veterans traded by the Colts this offseason?

The Colts traded key veterans including Zaire Franklin, Michael Pittman Jr., and allowed Braden Smith to sign with the Houston Texans.

Q: What impact will the Colts' roster changes have on the team?

The Colts' roster changes aim to infuse youth, energy, and competition into the team, addressing the decline of their aging veteran core.

Q: How many career starts did Kenny Moore II have with the Colts?

Kenny Moore II made 111 career starts during his nine-year tenure with the Colts.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - SEPTEMBER 10: Kenny Moore II #23 and Zaire Franklin #44 of the Indianapolis Colts react during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 10, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) | Getty Images Having not found a willing trade partner on a deal that made sense, the Indianapolis Colts made the very difficult football decision and announced that they had released longtime veteran cornerback Kenny Moore II. Not unexpected, as Colts general manager Chris Ballard indicated a few weeks ago that if Indianapolis could not find a suitable trade for Moore II, who had requested a change of scenery, that the Horseshoe would ultimately perform the honorable move and release the 30-year-old, former 2021 NFL Pro Bower—doing right by the player. During his prior 9-year career with the Colts, Moore II had consistently been one of the better slot corners in all of football, with 111 career starts (and an impressive 21 interceptions in his lengthy tenure) for Indianapolis. While he’s arguably not what he once was, getting a bit long in the tooth for an NFL cornerback, Moore II can still be a reliable slot for a contender, particularly one that predominantly plays in zone coverage. Perhaps most importantly though, the Colts lost another former longstanding veteran pillar, as Moore II was a defensive captain and 3x Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee by his teammates, including for the past two seasons in Indianapolis. It marks the latest move in an offseason that has seemed stark change within the Colts ‘old guard’ locker room leadership, which has seen many of the longstanding ‘veteran hats’ having now departed elsewhere. The Colts traded 29-year old starting linebacker Zaire Franklin, who was another former defensive captain and Pro Bowler—even an NFL 2nd-Team All-Pro for Indianapolis, to the earlier this offseason. Since becoming a full-time starter at linebacker in 2021, Franklin had made 82 career starts for Indy. Like Moore II, he was the franchise’s prior Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee back in 2023. The Colts then traded starting wideout , who is 28-years-old and another former team captain, and of course, always lauded for his toughness, physicality, and consistency in Indy, to the in largely a salary cap savings move. After being selected in the 2nd round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the big bodied possession wideout made 86 career starts for the Colts, becoming one of their better wideouts in franchise history when looking at his complete body of work. The Colts also elected to allow longtime starting right bookend , who turned 30-years-old in late March, sign with their AFC South divisional rival, , without any sort of resistance. Smith had been a starting right tackle staple for the Colts offensive line since he was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2018 NFL Draft, making 105 career starts in Indianapolis—and being arguably deserving of earlier career Pro Bowl nods as an unspoken standout. In their place, the Colts are now projected to have cornerback (23-years-old), rookie linebacker CJ Allen (21-years-old), and right tackle (24-years-old) or (25-years-old) among others. These tough moves were no doubt painful, albeit not unexpected, particularly regarding Moore II and Pittman Jr., but it was an increasingly aging veteran core in Indianapolis that hadn’t won anything meaningful to-date. The Colts were faced with some decisions this offseason, and in his mind, Ballard made them with the best interests of the team while also considering the player in each particular situation. Indianapolis absolutely had to get younger, as the old core had already begun to fade and show signs of career decline. If nothing else, getting younger should provide an infusion of energy, speed, athleticism, change, and competition, that this roster has arguably needed a lot more as of late. We all knew it was coming, but ripping off the bandaid can still sting though!