With a new defensive staff and a history of injuries it's a make-or-break season for JuJu Brents

Indianapolis Star

5 days ago

WESTFIELD -- Colts cornerback JuJu Brents lined up in press coverage across from Anthony Gould in a red-zone drill in a matchup of size versus speed.
Gould cut inside on a slant, hoping to use the green space and inside leverage as safe harbor from this 6-foot-3 cornerback. But Brents was ready for this twist, and he blanketed the 5-foot-8 receiver until the pass arrived. Then he stretched his gangly arms around Gould's compact frame in order to tip the ball up in the air and into the arms of safety Rodney Thomas II.
Four practices in, Brents is healthy, for now. He's back from the meniscus tear that derailed his second season, back from the numerous surgeries that have combined to limit him to just 11 games played in two seasons.
He's back in the northern suburbs of his hometown, in a literal shadow of the building where he received the call from the Colts in the second round back in 2023. That's when the dreams launched of running out of the Lucas Oil Stadium tunnel with an Indianapolis jersey on and starring at a premium position for the hometown team, only for a knee and a quad and a nose and an ankle and a wrist to turn the dream into a cruel joke at times.
Heading into a make-or-break third season, those scars turned into jet fuel this offseason.
"I was just working my (expletive) off," Brents said.
If he needed any more fuel for the fire he's stoked through those 23 missed games, he's getting it on the field. The Colts have thrust him into a three-man battle for the starting outside cornerback spot opposite newly signed All-Pro Charvarius Ward, along with third-round Minnesota rookie Justin Walley and two-year starter Jaylon Jones.
"I think if you're a competitor, you love this type of competition," Brents said. "For me, it's just a challenge every single day. But it makes us all better."
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Thanks to Ward, and with Moore in the slot, it's one spot up for grabs among three hungry men. One is a seventh-round pick in Jones, another is a rookie with a name to carve out in Walley and the third is a hometown kid with perhaps one last runway at a local dream in Brents.
"It's just an aggressive mentality: he comes downhill and brings some crafty plays with it. He'll hit someone in the flat," Jones said of Brents.
"... We always be joking with him about being the 'neighborhood hero' and 'the prince of Indy.'"
Walley's edge is that he was drafted by the current coaching staff, with a skill set directly built for the scheme. By hiring defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and assistant defensive backs coaches Jerome Henderson and Chris Hewitt, the Colts are embracing more of a sticky man-coverage approach, which fits the 5-10 Walley more than it does the 6-3 Brents or 6-2 Jones, who were drafted for Gus Bradley's Seattle-style approach with hulking outside cornerbacks who lived more in short-area zones.
Jones has the experience edge over the two with 27 starts in 34 games. He also allowed just one touchdown pass last season, though he did give up 8.1 yards per attempt.
Brents' edge is still on upside and skill set. He was the highest drafted of the three as a second-rounder, and though he has hulking length at 6-3, he also has the light frame and foot speed to move smoothly within it, like he did in blanketing Gould on the slant route.
"I can't wait to see the ceiling that he reaches in the league," Moore said. "I can't wait to see the ceiling he reaches being an Indianapolis Colt."
That light frame has led to a rash of injuries he could never believe could be real. But for the first time as a pro, he's coming off an offseason with no surgeries and no lingering injuries.
His time is now. And for as long as it lasts, he's coming for it all.