NFL analyst lists 2 veteran Colts' defenders as cut candidates
Matt Okada of NFL.com recently put together his list of notable cut candidates this offseason, and two of those players are key members of the Indianapolis Colts' defense.
The first Colts ' defender mentioned by Okada was cornerback Kenny Moore.
"Despite ranking among the league’s most effective run-defending corners (84.4 PFF grade, fifth-highest among CBs with 500+ defensive snaps), his coverage grade was average (63.8)," Okada wrote. "The Colts allowed the second-most passing yards in the NFL last season and it was a crucial factor in their second-half collapse."
The 2026 season will be the final year of Moore's deal. If the Colts released him, they would save $7.06 million in cap space. However, I'm going to disagree with Okada -- I just don't see that being in play.
Moore has been a reliable and durable presence in the secondary. Okada notes the passing yards that the Colts gave up, which was more so a product of the injuries the team navigated at outside cornerback and less bout Moore's level of play.
Without Moore, unless the Colts want to move Justin Walley inside, there is no obvious replacement on the roster.
The second Colts' defender that Okada listed was linebacker Zaire Franklin .
"While he’s been a full-time starter and tackling machine for Indy for the last several seasons, including a Pro Bowl bid in 2024, Franklin’s production dropped off quite a bit in 2025," wrote Okada. "His overall PFF grade of 38.4 was the worst among 67 linebackers with at least 500 snaps, and he turns 30 years old in July."
Moving on from Franklin would generate $5.8 million in cap savings this offseason.
GM Chris Ballard mentioned the need to get younger and faster on defense this offseason. And while he didn't specifically mention the linebacker position in that sentiment, that's a unit where this does apply. A much greater coverage presence is needed.
But with that said, the linebacker depth chart behind Franklin has almost no NFL experience. Linebacker should already be a priority for Ballard this offseason, and moving on from Franklin only makes an already good-sized void even larger.
For the Colts, they find themselves positioned relatively well from a salary cap standpoint, so even though Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce will require big deals to retain, it's not as if an abundance of cap space has to be created to bring those two back.
The Colts also have the ability to create additional salary cap room in other ways.
With the Colts in win-now mode, I don't know how willing Ballard will be to move on from either of these players.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts free agency: Kenny Moore, Zaire Franklin listed as cut candidates
