How Will the Colts Replace Xavien Howard?

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Indianapolis Colts got some surprising news this week, as veteran starting cornerback Xavien Howard informed the team of his retirement, five weeks into the regular season.

Howard, 32, cited a desire to be with his family for the main reason, but nonetheless, the Colts now need to enact their backup plan.

Of course, it was also possible that the Colts begin to reduce Howard's role this week after a rough start to the season culminated in a disaster scenario last Sunday in which Howard's worst performance came in the Colts' first loss of the season.

The Colts do have some options to replace Howard in their defense, both internal and external.

The most likely scenario is that the Colts maintain the status quo and roll with Blackmon and Edwards as their replacements for Howard. The Colts will also eventually get Jaylon Jones and Kenny Moore II back from injury, which will allow for some added flexibility to move players around as needed.

Blackmon will likely step in this week to fill the Howard void. Colts head coach Shane Steichen was asked if Blackmon would be the starter, and he replied, "Yeah, we'll work through all that."

The Colts traded a sixth-round pick for him in late August, and he's already played 138 snaps for the defense; 94 outside and 44 inside.

Edwards has only played 11 defensive snaps this season, including three last week, but he got a pass breakup out of it. Eight of his snaps have come on the boundary while the other three, he was inside.

Gilmore is the most sought-after name among fans. However, the former Colt was aged when they initially had him in 2022 at 32. He's 35 now and would be replacing a 32-year-old Howard, who looked too old to be on the field. For the sake of argument, Gilmore is a free agent right now, but he did play last year for the Minnesota Vikings and made 15 starts. According to Pro Football Focus, Gilmore allowed the highest passer rating (99.8) of his career and the second-highest completion percentage (66.7%).

Fuller, 30, is another veteran corner on the market who made 11 starts for the Miami Dolphins last season. Per PFF, he allowed 62.8% completions and a 92.8 passer rating. He's got the ability to play in the slot or the boundary.

Moseley hasn't logged serious defensive snaps since 2022, when he had 312 for the San Francisco 49ers. He did have 29 special teams snaps for the Detroit Lions, as ACL and pectoral injuries have limited his availability. Overall, Moseley has started 33 games.

We'll draw an obvious Lou Anarumo connection here, as Taylor-Britt started 38-of-39 games at outside corner for Anarumo with the Cincinnati Bengals between 2022-24. Taylor-Britt is in the final year of his rookie contract on a defense that is likely to continue evolving over the next couple of years.

Newsome II has been the subject of trade rumors for the last couple of years due to up-and-down play, and he is now in the final year of his contract after the Browns picked up his fifth-year option. He's started 46-of-58 career games, including all four this season.

Woolen burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2022, sharing the league lead in interceptions with six and making the Pro Bowl. However, since then, he's been on the decline, routinely giving up receptions and being dinged for penalties. Still, Woolen is an intriguing height/weight/speed prospect who could be worth the Colts targeting.

Jake Arthur has been covering the Indianapolis Colts for over a dozen years and is a member of the PFWA. He's one half of the Locked On Colts podcast and has worked for the Colts' official website, On SI, and more. You can follow him on X @JakeArthurNFL.