For the second time in his career, veteran corner Keiwan Ratliff has been dumped by the Cincinnati Bengals. In between the first time and the second time he was cut by the Bengals, Ratliff spent two pretty productive years with the Colts. His 2008 season was probably the most productive of his career. He logged four starts, 22 tackles, an INT for a touchdown, and one fumble recovery that season.
With the Colts secondary lacking depth (Jacob Lacey is the only veteran non-starter, and he's in his second year), picking Ratliff up off waivers might not be a bad move. If the Colts cornerback health issues continue to trend as they have the last few years, the Colts are in big trouble. Kelvin Hayden has only started 18 games the last two seasons, and Jerraud Powers missed four games last year with hamstring and foot injuries. He played hurt in the Super Bowl.
This means if Powers and Hayden get hurt during the 2010 season (and they likely will), the Colts will be forced to work with a second-year player (Lacey) and a bunch of rookies.
Not good.
Finding valuable, veteran depth at corner should be a big priority for the Colts heading into the regular season. Unless he's hurt, claiming Ratliff would improve this secondary.