The Indianapolis Colts received some startling news Monday when it was revealed that up-and-coming corner, Isaiah Rodgers, is under investigation for violating the NFL's gambling policy.

Nothing has been made official, just yet, but Rodgers apologized for his alleged actions via Twitter on Monday night, which all but confirms his involvement in the matter.

Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Calvin Ridley was suspended indefinitely after the league found out he gambled on NFL games, so that's likely to happen to Rodgers, who is purported to have placed bets on multiple NFL games, including Colts matchups. Therefore, the Colts should look at adding another cornerback to their young room.

Potential Free Agent Targets for the Colts

Casey Hayward

Of all the traits needed in the Colts cornerback room, experience is easily the top priority. Outside of Kenny Moore II, the team doesn’t have a CB that’s played more than 175 defensive snaps in Indy’s current defensive scheme.

Hayward has all of that and more. He's logged over 8,200 snaps during the course of his 10 years in the NFL and he has two All-Pro and two Pro Bowl nods on his resume. 

But, most importantly, he played for Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley from 2017-2020, when Bradley was DC for the Los Angeles Chargers. Hayward played four successful seasons in Bradley's defense, registering seven interceptions and one of the All-Pro/Pro Bowl nods during that time. 

The Colts have two very promising rookies in Julius "JuJu" Brents and Darius Rush, but both players are still rookies, ultimately. Hayward would certainly provide solid competition and mentorship thanks to his extensive experience in Bradley's defense. He was playing pretty well before a shoulder injury prematurely ended his 2022 season, so, he still has some juice left.

And, even though the Colts are sitting pretty with close to $24 million in cap space, Hayward won't be expensive, at all. He last signed a two-year deal worth $11 million with the Atlanta Falcons, so he should cost that much, at most, in 2023.

Marcus Peters

Yes, Peters is the big fish since he's the best cornerback on the market, but the NFL is all about taking swings, right? 

The five-time All-Pro recorded a career-low one interception in 2022, but he also dealt with knee, quad, and calf injuries throughout the season that caused him to also miss a career-high four games and play a career-low 736 snaps. The injuries are a bit worrisome, however, since he missed the entire 2021 season due to a torn ACL and hasn't played a full season since 2019.

But, if he's fully healthy and bought-in, Peters would be an instant upgrade. 

Peters hasn’t played a full season since 2019, but he’s a true ballhawk with the coverage traits and excellent backfield vision to finish. Even though the production was down for him last year (one interception, six pass breakups), he has notched 32 interceptions and 93 pass breakups in his eight pro seasons. – Matt Bowen, ESPN

Peters is a good fit for Bradley's zone-heavy scheme, evidenced by his PFF zone coverage grade of 75.2.  And, as Bowen mentions, Peters' ballhawking abilities should really help a Colts defense that finished last year with just 10 interceptions.

There are risks with Peters and he's going to take playing time away from the younger guys. But, he could serve as a bridge CB1, kind of like Gilmore did last year, until the Rodgers situation is figured out.

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There are a couple of other interesting names in Jason Verrett and Anthony Brown. Verrett was with Bradley in 2017 and Brown has two years in Dan Quinn's system, which is akin to Bradley's. Both players are coming off Achilles tears, however, and Verrett already has an extremely worrisome injury history, so they wouldn't be factors until training camp, at the earliest.



There aren't a ton of options that really fit what the Colts need, right now. Their best option is to let the rookies and younger players battle it out and then sign a veteran if someone gets hurt or if the guys aren't developing at the necessary pace. It'll be interesting to see how things play out moving forward.

Featured image via Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports