Colts Secondary Healthier, Refreshed Coming Out of Bye Week

As the Indianapolis Colts come off of their Week 11 bye, some important developments have come together for the secondary in particular. Most notably, of course, safety Clayton Geathers is expected to be returning after being out for a complete calendar year, but likely won’t be starting against the Tennessee Titans.

It is a bit ironic that he’ll be returning against the team in which he was injured against, but while it’s great to see that he’ll be back on the field Sunday it doesn’t appear that he’ll be playing a large part in the Colts Week 12 divisional matchup.

Monday Geathers stated “It’s about to be a year and if I play Sunday, it’s the game where it all happened last year. We’re going to be on a pitch count so whatever the number is, the number is and we’ll just pretty much go from there.”

Geathers also touched on his road to recovery, saying “It’s been tough, it’s been a long journey. It’s been good, it’s been humbling — it’s been a good process.”

Again, to have one of the few building blocks for the future that were already on the roster during the offseason transition of power, and roster turnover, is a huge plus for the Colts in any way that you choose to look at it. It should soon deplete some of the rotational players who likely shouldn’t be on the field to begin with, and will give us a reasonable picture of what to expect of the future from the safety position.

Another nice development was to hear that Quincy Wilson is in a good place after fighting, both, a nagging knee injury as well as apparently failing to impress the coaching staff in recent weeks. Monday in his press conference, Chuck Pagano said about Wilson, “He’s obviously way healthier than he’s been in a long time. So now he’s going to have the opportunity to go out there and compete and practice at a high level, and give himself a chance to get back on the field.”

Especially if you’re a fan of Wilson and how he’s performed in his short stint of action this season, we’ve seen his length and athleticism and what it can provide to the secondary as it moves towards the future. Most fans have been angered by the way he’s been back and forth — obviously moreso with how the coaching staff has perceived his talents than his being nicked up — but to see him back in action would only bolster an already ascending secondary for the remainder of the season.

Additionally, one of the better additions of the season, Pierre Desir, said that “a lot of us, we felt fresh (coming back to work) — everyone was just flying around. Just a fresh start, we’re looking forward to this game.” Desir, who has been a pleasant surprise with his ability to maintain coverage and force quarterbacks to throw into tight windows, has continued to tighten up his skillset, saying “My technique is getting more in-sync with my teammates. I talked to them over break just to get more insight about what I could’ve done better while I was playing.”

Desir has been getting the CB2 snaps opposite Rashaan Melvin for a few weeks now and has done a nice job allowing the Colts to now play with considerably more depth than in recent years. Melvin, too, enjoyed the bye week and felt it was good for the team. “I think it was critical to us trying to continue to build as a team, get away, spend some time with our family and friends and come back rejuvenated.”

Melvin has been lights out this season and the once average-looking depth corner has become one of the best cover cornerbacks in the league. His physicality at the line of scrimmage and through the receiver’s route have been crucial to the Colts having any semblance of a base to build upon for the future.

With the return of Geathers, and the feeling of being refreshed from the remainder of the secondary, the group could be a very fun bunch to watch throughout their final 6 games of the season. If nothing else, this provides hope for the future to a disgruntled fan base that has watched injuries and poor coaching take its toll on a perennial 10-win organization. Better days are ahead, and this secondary could rival the rest of the league sooner rather than later.