Julius Brents

Colts To Place CB JuJu Brents On IR

September 10th, 2024 at 3:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

3:57pm: In moving Brents to IR, the Colts are signing Lammons to their 53-man roster, Fox59’s Mike Chappell tweets. A former Chiefs backup, the 28-year-old corner played in four games as a Colts reserve last season.

3:03pm: The Colts received scrutiny for inaction at cornerback this offseason. While the team re-signed stalwart slot CB Kenny Moore during an offseason featuring a retention-heavy strategy, no notable moves covered its outside spots. It is possible that will change soon thanks to an injury development.

A knee injury will lead JuJu Brents to IR, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports the second-year cover man is expected to miss the rest of the season. The Colts took Brents in last year’s second round. Brents’ injury invites questions for the Colts, who had penciled him in as a starter while holding a competition for their CB2 role.

Brents played 62 snaps against the Texans, and while this injury represents his most significant NFL setback, the Kansas State alum has dealt with other maladies already in his young career. Brents missed eight games due to injury last season and suffered a broken nose during preseason play. He underwent cleanup ankle surgery this offseason.

As Brents was on track to start during the offseason program, the Colts pitted 2023 seventh-rounder Jaylon Jones and UDFA Dallis Flowers against each other for the other perimeter job. Jones won and started in Week 1. The Colts also claimed Samuel Womack off waivers from the 49ers. This led to the team cutting Darrell Baker, who started six games with Indianapolis last season. Baker landed with the Titans.

Flowers, who started all four games he played before suffering a season-ending Achilles tear last year, was a healthy scratch in Week 1. Womack played but did not see any time on defense. Chris Lammons saw 22 defensive snaps, giving the Colts another option. Though, it would not surprise to see a Colts team that struggled against the pass last season seek outside help.

Chris Ballard defiantly stuck to his homegrown roster-building strategy recently, but it was surprising to see the Colts not address the corner position in the draft. Brents represented the lead outside CB for Indianapolis, which waived Isaiah Rodgers following his gambling suspension last year. The Colts showed some flexibility here in 2023, signing Stephon Gilmore. The former Defensive Player of the Year signed with the Vikings recently, but Patrick Peterson and Xavien Howard remain available. Hit with a civil lawsuit this offseason, Howard was not believed to be on Indy’s radar previously.

Pro Football Focus graded Brents 66th among corners last season; the Colts drafted the Indianapolis native 44th overall. While Moore will man the slot, the Colts carry just four healthy corners (Jones, Womack, Flowers) on their active roster. Lammons played as a practice squad elevation in Week 1. Brents’ rookie contract runs through 2026.

Titans Claim CB Darrell Baker Jr.

August 29th, 2024 at 7:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

As they transitioned from Stephon Gilmore‘s one-and-done, they trotted out an unproven cornerback group save for slot ace Kenny Moore. One of the players Indianapolis used as a starter to open the season is now on Tennessee’s roster.

After the Colts waived Darrell Baker Jr. on Wednesday, the Titans submitted a successful claim, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Two years remain on Baker’s rookie contract.

Baker initially made Indianapolis’ 53-man roster, but the team subsequently claimed Samuel Womack off waivers from the 49ers. Rather than passing through waivers to a potential Indy practice squad slot, Baker will head to another AFC South team’s 53-man roster.

The Colts opened last season with Baker as a starting corner and gave him five more starts on the outside as the season progressed. Baker was not viewed as a starter coming into camp, and the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson adds 2023 seventh-round pick Jaylon Jones won the job opposite Julius Brents. Baker had been working opposite Dallis Flowers with the Colts’ second-stringers. Baker played 467 defensive snaps last season — after none his rookie year — and Pro Football Focus ranked the former UDFA outside the top 100 at the position.

Tennessee moved on from three-year contributor Elijah Molden via trade and cut bait on Caleb Farley‘s first-round contract. As Dennard Wilson takes over on defense in Nashville, the team added two big-ticket pieces in free agent Chidobe Awuzie and trade pickup L’Jarius Sneed. With Roger McCreary expected to patrol the slot, the Titans look to have Baker en route as a second-string option. The team also rosters fifth-round rookie Jarvis Brownlee at the position.

The Titans also signed Nick Vannett from their practice squad and placed fourth-round rookie linebacker Cedric Gray on IR, Wilson adds,

AFC South Notes: Henry, Titans, OL, Jaguars, Peters, Colts, DBs, Smith, Texans

July 26th, 2024 at 5:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

As could be expected, Ran Carthon pushed back on the rumor he was overruled on trading Derrick Henry before last year’s deadline. A recent report said the Titans GM had a deal in place to send Henry elsewhere for a fourth-round pick — one with the potential to become a third — only to be denied. It is worth noting Carthon did not have full autonomy in his first year, with Mike Vrabel still in the mix, but does now. The second-year GM did say (via veteran Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky) multiple teams made offers for the two-time rushing champion last year. Carthon said no agreement was ultimately finalized on a trade. The Ravens were closely connected to the perennial 1,000-yard rusher, and the Titans ultimately agreed to move on this offseason — after a memorable Henry on-field farewell address — leading Henry to Baltimore.

Here is the latest from the AFC South:

Amid a widespread effort to retain their own talent this offseason, the Colts did not make a notable addition at cornerback. They have low-end investments — seventh-rounder Jaylon Jones, UDFA Dallis Flowers — as the primary contenders to start opposite JuJu Brents, while Kenny Moore mans the slot. The Colts are also preparing for 2022 third-rounder Nick Cross to become a full-time starter at safety alongside Julian Blackmon. GM Chris Ballard said (via The Athletic’s James Boyd) the team could “definitely” make a move to add a veteran DB, but that is not the plan right now. Indianapolis will continue to assess its in-house options before diving into the free agent or trade markets here.
Both Brents and right tackle Braden Smith underwent offseason surgery, per Boyd and Fox59’s Mike Chappell. Smith, who is entering his seventh season as Indy’s right tackle, underwent knee surgery this offseason. Brents, a 2023 second-rounder, had cleanup ankle surgery. The Kansas State product missed eight games last season, returning for the Colts’ final four contests after missing the previous six. Smith missed seven games last year. Neither player landed on Indy’s active/PUP list this week.
On the subject of offseason procedures, Titans RT hopeful Nicholas Petit-Frere underwent cleanup knee surgery, per ESPN.com’s Turron Davenport. Petit-Frere, who saw a shoulder malady end his 2023 season shortly after he was reinstated from a gambling suspension, remains on Tennessee’s active/PUP list following the knee procedure. The Titans’ primary RT starter in 2022, Petit-Frere is attempting to reclaim his job under new O-line coach Bill Callahan. The former third-rounder may well be favored to do so.
Adding Stefon Diggs gives the Texans receiving depth to the point multiple trade candidates may emerge. Still, the team sought some additional help by working out former Eagles contributor Greg Ward, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. A former Houston Cougars QB, Ward has not played in a regular-season game since 2021 and spent part of last season on Philly’s practice squad.
The Jaguars made some notable hires recently, adding longtime Cardinals exec Josh Scobey and recently retired DT Corey Peters to their front office. Both will join the organization as college scouts. Not to be confused with ex-Jacksonville kicker Josh Scobee, Scobey — an ex-NFL running back — spent the past 12 seasons as a Cardinals scout before an offseason separation. He finished his tenure as the team’s director of college scouting. After interviewing with the Titans, Scobey is with the Jags. Peters finished his career with the Jaguars in 2022, joining the team during GM Trent Baalke‘s first season in charge. Peters was with the Cardinals during much of Scobey’s Arizona stay. The Jags also added Mimi Bolden-Morris and Austin Leake as scouting assistants and announced Antonio Robinson‘s elevation to a college scouting post.

Jaylon Jones, Dallis Flowers Vying For Colts Starting CB Job; JuJu Brents Likely To Start

July 4th, 2024 at 10:40am CST by Sam Robinson

An early-May report indicated the Colts could be in the market for veteran help in the secondary. Boundary cornerback would seemingly be the team’s focus here. In between the offseason program and training camp, however, no such signing transpired.

The Colts, who ranked 28th in pass defense last season, included slot ace Kenny Moore among their spate of re-signings but have questions about both outside cornerback posts. One of those spots looks to be earmarked for JuJu Brents, per The Athletic’s James Boyd, but the other position will bring competition (subscription required).

Brents may not be a true lock to start, but the Colts chose him in the 2023 second round and used him as an eight-game starter last season. Brents was sidelined for two extended stretches, though he did suit up for the team’s final four games. Pro Football Focus slotted Brents 66th among corners last season.

Opposite the Indianapolis native, the Colts feature uncertainty. The team drafted two corners, selecting Jaylin Simpson in Round 5 and Micah Abraham in Round 6, but Boyd points to Jaylon Jones and Dallis Flowers as the primary competitors for the boundary job opposite Brents.

A 10-game starter last season, Jones worked with the first-stringers for most of the Colts’ offseason workouts. The team drafted Jones in the 2023 seventh round, and the Texas A&M product made the quick move into the starting lineup. Brents missing eight games and Flowers going down with an Achilles tear in early October contributed to this, and PFF ranked Jones 94th last season. He was charged with five touchdowns allowed. Flowers made five starts in two seasons, working behind Stephon Gilmore and the Isaiah Rodgers–Brandon Facyson tandem in 2022, but the Division II product was working with the starters each week before going down last year.

The Colts clearly believe in their current nucleus, as their batch of re-signings and extensions — headlined by the likes of Moore, Julian Blackmon, Michael Pittman Jr., DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart — illustrate, but the team having employed Moore and still ranking in the bottom five in pass defense seems to point toward a deficiency at a rather key area.

Options are limited, as could be expected, weeks away from camp. Xavien Howard is not expected to be a Colts consideration, Boyd adds, due to the the civil suit that came up since his Dolphins release. Another potential option, Steven Nelson, retired after nine seasons. Adoree’ Jackson remains available ahead of his age-29 campaign, as does Gilmore, who will turn 34 in September. Patrick Peterson is also available ahead of his age-34 season.

Indy only has two non-homegrown players — Buckner and Samson Ebukam — projected to start (Moore technically counts, as a Patriots UDFA, but he was a Colt before his rookie season started). In the free agency era, that is obviously a rather low number. As of now, the team is preparing to roll out an entirely homegrown secondary. The Flowers-Jones competition may change that, but for the time being, Indy’s inward-focused plan extends to cornerback.

Colts Wrap Up Draft Class Signings

July 24th, 2023 at 3:06pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Colts entered Monday with three members of their rookie class unsigned, but that is no longer the case. The team announced the signings of second-round corner Julius Brents and fourth-round offensive lineman Blake Freeland, while NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that quarterback Anthony Richardson has also agreed to terms on his initial pro contract.

The latter will earn a fully-guaranteed $33.99MM, including a $21.72MM signing bonus. As the Texans have done with No. 2 pick C.J. Stroud, Richardson will receive all of his bonus upfront. With the financial business taken care off, the Colts can look ahead to training camp, during which Richardson in particular will be at the center of attention.

The Florida product was long seen as the x-factor in this year’s quarterback class. Richardson spent three years with the Gators, but he only logged one full campaign as the team’s starter. During the 2022 season, he posted an underwhelming 17:9 touchdown-to-interception ratio while completing just under 54% of his passes. Those figures led to understandable questions about his abilities as a passer at the NFL level.

The 6-4, 232-pounder ran for 654 yards and nine touchdowns, however, and delivered a highly impressive Combine performance. That helped convince Indianapolis to select him fourth overall, making him the third signal-caller to hear his name called. Owner Jim Irsay recently spoke about the timeline along which Richardson could overtake veteran signing Gardner Minshew as the team’s starter under new head coach Shane Steichen (who was hired in no small part based on his success in developing young QBs).

Brents was likely in line for a notable rookie role even before Isaiah Rodgers was let go by the Colts in the wake of his gambling suspension. Especially now that the team’s corner depth has been weakened by that move, the Kansas State product will compete for a starting role on a Colts team which, after trading away Stephon Gilmore, is generally lacking in proven commodities at the position. Freeland, who spent three years at BYU, will look to provide depth to an offensive front which significantly underperformed in 2022.

Here is the complete Colts’ draft class:

Round 1, No. 4: Anthony Richardson, QB (Florida) (signed)
Round 2, No. 44 (from Falcons): Julius Brents, CB (Kansas State) (signed)
Round 3, No. 79 (from Commanders): Josh Downs, WR (North Carolina) (signed)
Round 4, No. 106: Blake Freeland, OT (BYU) (signed)
Round 4, No. 110 (from Falcons): Adetomiwa Adebawore, DE (Northwestern) (signed)
Round 5, No. 138: Darius Rush, CB (South Carolina) (signed)
Round 5, No. 158 (from Vikings): Daniel Scott, S (California) (signed)
Round 5, No. 162 (from Bills): Will Mallory, TE (Miami) (signed)
Round 5, No. 176 (from Cowboys): Evan Hull, RB (Northwestern) (signed)
Round 6, No. 211 (from Vikings): Titus Leo, DE (Wagner) (signed)
Round 7, No. 221: Jaylon Jones, CB (Texas A&M) (signed)
Round 7, No. 236 (from Buccaneers): Jake Witt, OT (Northern Michigan) (signed)

Draft Notes: Hooker, Texans, Avila

April 22nd, 2023 at 9:34pm CST by Adam La Rose

For much of the pre-draft process, it has been widely assumed that four quarterbacks will be taken in the first round. The next highest-rated passer, Hendon Hooker, could increase that number to five.

The Tennessee product had a promising 2022 season cut short by an ACL tear, which will keep him sidelined for at least part of his rookie campaign. That, along with his age (25), has hurt his stock to the point that many see him as a second-round prospect. Hooker has met with a number of teams across the Day 1 order, however, and the Raiders are one squad which came away impressed with him.

ESPN’s Matt Miller confirms that Hooker is gathering steam to be picked in the first round. He cites multiple scouts who believe he can safely be penciled into the Day 1 order, with one prediction even connecting him to the Commanders at No. 16. Washington is committed to Sam Howell as their starter, and they have signed Jacoby Brissett as an experienced backup. While teams set to pick later in the round could therefore be better fits, it may not come as much a surprise if one of them elects to add Hooker compared to earlier in the offseason.

Here are some other notes from the same ESPN piece:

Both Miller and colleague Jordan Reid are in line with the prevailing thought in league circles that the Texans will not use the second overall pick on a quarterback. Recent reports have increasingly pointed to Houston preferring a defensive prospect to any quarterback other than Bryce Young, who is widely expected to go first overall. Miller adds that Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. is the name “most often connected” to the second pick – something which goes against previous reports listing fellow edge rusher Tyree Wilson as the favorite for GM Nick Caserio and Co. In any case, the Texans (who also hold the 12th pick) will certainly be a team to watch in the early going on Thursday, as their QB situation may not be addressed on Day 1.
Reid names Kansas State cornerback Julius Brents and TCU guard Steve Avila as players who could find their way into the back of the first round. The latter delivered strong performances both in the run game and in pass protection during the Horned Frogs’ run to the national title game and is among the top interior linemen in the 2023 class. Per Reid, both the Cowboys and Saints have their eye on Avila. Both Dallas and New Orleans used first-round picks (Tyler Smith and Trevor Penning, respectively) to bolster their offensive fronts last year, but Avila could be an immediate starter for whichever team adds him late on Day 1 or early on Day 2.