Which Colts player is best suited to replace Kenny Moore?

Cameron Mitchell

**Total career snaps at slot corner: 422 | 10.5 per game** Mitchell should be the most realistic threat to Walley. He only played 22 snaps in the slot last season with the Colts, so it’s not like he owned the role in Indianapolis. But across his career, he has 422 slot snaps, which is the most of anyone currently on the roster. That matters because the slot is not a position where raw athleticism solves everything. You need to understand leverage, spacing, route combinations (especially inside!), and how to tackle…a lot. Mitchell has actually lived in that world before. He may not have Walley’s upside, but he has experience, and he’s entering his second year in the Colts’ system. If the Colts want the safer early option, Mitchell has a real case.

Mekhi Blackmon

**Total career snaps at slot corner: 87 | 2.70 per game** Blackmon does not have much slot experience, but he is worth mentioning because he might simply be one of the better cornerbacks on the roster. After a solid 2025 season with the Colts, there is a real argument that Blackmon is the third-best corner behind Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward. If the Colts want their best three corners on the field, Blackmon could get a look inside. The problem with Blackmon is his fit, as he feels more natural as an outside corner, and his value might be higher as the first backup there. If Gardner or Ward miss time, Blackmon is probably the player you want stepping in. So while he has a path to slot reps, he feels more like a fallback option than the cleanest answer.

Cam Taylor-Britt

**Total career snaps at slot corner: 134 | 2.85 per game** Taylor-Britt is probably not a real factor in the slot race. He has some slot snaps on his résumé, but his game is built for the outside. The bigger point is that he played under Lou Anarumo in Cincinnati and still was not used inside very often. If Anarumo did not view him as a slot player there, it is hard to imagine him suddenly becoming one now. Taylor-Britt gives the Colts outside depth and familiarity with the system, and even though that has a lot of value, none of that familiarity comes inside so I doubt he moves there now.

Jaylon Jones

**Total career snaps at slot corner: 32 | 0.72 per game** Jones has barely played in the slot, and his game does not really translate there. He is an outside corner who will likely be fighting for a roster spot. With Gardner, Ward, Blackmon, Taylor-Britt, Walley, and Mitchell all in the mix, the path is already crowded. Could he make the team as outside depth? Maybe. Could he suddenly become the Kenny Moore replacement? Very unlikely.

Jonathan Owens

**Total career snaps at slot corner: 300 | 3.65 per game** Owens is more interesting than people might think because he does have real slot experience. His 300 career snaps inside are second-most on this list behind Mitchell. With that being said, he has spent the last few years at safety, and that is probably still where his value is highest. Owens feels like a versatile defensive back who can move around, help on special teams, take some emergency slot reps, and give the coaching staff flexibility on game day. While that versatility is important, when it comes to talking about the full-time slot job, it is hard to see him beating out Walley or Mitchell unless something goes really wrong.

Wyett Ekeler

**Total career snaps at slot corner: 0** Ekeler is a long shot, but he is at least worth including. He played some slot in college and has good speed and explosiveness, so there are traits to work with. The problem is that the coverage profile is not strong enough right now to take him seriously as a starting candidate. Realistically, Ekeler is fighting for a roster spot. Special teams will likely matter more for him than anything he does in the slot.

Charvarius Ward

**Total career snaps at slot corner: 147 | 1.35 per game** Ward is one of the best corners on the roster, which is exactly why the Colts should leave him where he belongs. He is an outside corner. That is where he has made his career, and that is where he should stay. The Colts brought him in to stabilize the boundary, not to experiment with him inside. There is no reason to overcomplicate this one: Ward should be outside.

Sauce Gardner

**Total career snaps at slot corner: 61 | 1.03 per game** Same idea here… Sauce Gardner is the best corner on the roster and one of the best outside corners in football. He has almost no slot experience, and there is no reason to change that now. Gardner and Ward give the Colts a potentially elite outside duo. That is the strength of the room, so moving either one inside would create a problem instead of solving one. Leave Gardner outside and let the actual slot competition play out elsewhere.

So who actually wins the job?

This feels like a two-man race between Justin Walley and Cameron Mitchell. Walley is the long-term bet. He has the draft investment, athletic profile, and size-speed combination that makes sense inside. If the Colts drafted him to eventually replace Moore, this is the year where that plan has to start showing up. Mitchell is the experience play. He has far more slot snaps than anyone else on the roster. Slot corner is messy football; you have to process everything fast. My early guess is that Walley enters camp as the favourite, but Mitchell is much closer than people think. Blackmon is the wild card if the Colts just want their best three corners on the field, while Owens could get package reps because of his versatility. Replacing Kenny Moore was never going to be easy. The Colts are not just replacing a position. They are replacing trust, communication, tackling, and years of experience in one of the hardest roles in the secondary. If Walley is ready, the long-term plan could click into place quickly. If not, Mitchell might be the safest bridge.