Rookies Hold the Key to Indianapolis Colts' Future in the Secondary

The Indianapolis Colts' secondary might be the best unit on the defense.

Led by stud cornerback Vontae Davis and 2014 Pro Bowler Mike Adams, the Colts finished 2014 ranked 10th against the pass in Football Outsiders' defense-adjusted value over average ranking, the team's best ranking since safety Bob Sanders won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2007.

That success against the pass came despite a poor pass rush that depended on a blitz-heavy game plan to get the quarterback, leaving the secondary with little help most of the time. It was especially impressive in games against Baltimore, Cincinnati and Denver last season, although there were a few stinkers thrown in (Pittsburgh, Dallas).

But can the Colts continue to improve their secondary and make it a true strength going forward?

It's difficult to find building blocks on the roster outside of Davis.

The Colts like Greg Toler across from Davis, but Toler turned 30 in January and was one of the league's most disappointing performers in 2014. Pro Football Focus graded him at negative-12.4 for 2014, ranking him 99th among qualifying cornerbacks. Bleacher Report's B/R 1000 staff graded Toler as a 62 out of 100 for the season, ranking 101st among cornerbacks:

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Greg Toler (6'0", 190 lbs, 5 seasons) has big potential and has flashed top-tier talent at times, but he was far too inconsistent in 2014 as both a cover man and a tackler. On the ground, he saw 14 of his tackle attempts go for naught—a number that puts a huge damper on his run and tackle scores. In coverage, Toler played largely in man schemes while allowing nine touchdowns and letting 56 percent of attempts thrown his way go for a completion.

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Are there 100 cornerbacks better than Toler? Probably not.

For example, B/R 1000 ranked Seattle's Marcus Burley 37th, and he was in the Colts' training camp before the 2014 season before being traded for a sixth-round pick. In the same system, the Colts coaches didn't see anything in Burley that suggested he'd be better than Toler.

Toler is playing a relatively difficult position as the left cornerback on a defense that is largely man-heavy, opposite a shutdown cornerback that quarterbacks tend to avoid. So, his inconsistent play gets highlighted more often than other cornerbacks.

Still, Toler isn't someone the Colts should want to keep around for the long term. He simply allows too much production.

Nickel cornerback Darius Butler is a decent nickel, but he's also too inconsistent to be any sort of cornerstone piece.

David Richard/Associated Press

At safety, Mike Adams is 34, and he's more of a complementary piece than somebody to build around. Adams doesn't change the defense as much as he holds down his responsibility. It was a perfect situation for the Colts last season, as they were looking for a veteran to step in and steady the back end, but Adams doesn't factor into their long-term plans.

If his history is any indication, recently signed Dwight Lowery won't be around too long either. Lowery has spent time with three NFL teams in his seven-year career, playing no more than three seasons at each location.

Davis, who has three years left on his contract, is the only piece worth keeping around.

Fortunately, the Colts used some draft capital on a couple of defensive backs this year, third-round pick D'Joun Smith and safety Clayton Geathers.

This is where the key to the Colts' future in the secondary lies.

Smith is already extremely confident, per Kevin Bowen of Colts.com: "Under the right tutelage and the right coach that’s going to make my technique even better, I’m probably going to be the best cornerback to play the game."

Is Indianapolis the place to get that tutelage? The Colts have had disappointing cornerbacks go elsewhere and succeed in the past, such as Burley and Tim Jennings, but the team hasn't spent much resources on defensive backs since head coach Chuck Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson came to town.

Geathers is hoping to be the first safety to lock down a long-term role in Indianapolis since Antoine Bethea was drafted in the sixth round of the 2006 draft. Bethea impressed everybody at training cap that year, winning the starting role and never looking back. Geathers will have a similar opportunity, but there is also room for him to contribute on special teams and as a linebacker in certain sub-packages.

This is what the Colts need.

They need a feisty cornerback with good ball skills who can hold his own opposite Davis. They need a hard-hitting safety to patrol the middle of the field and make plays at the line of scrimmage, plus the intermediate and deep levels of the field.

Watch the hard-hitting safety and quick-footed cornerback in training camp this season. The two don't need to take the world by storm in their rookie season in order to be long-term contributors, but there should be signs there.

Can Smith at least compete with Butler for the slot cornerback role? Can he make a few plays in the preseason to stand out? Can Geathers legitimately contend for the starting role with Lowery?

This is the basket the Colts have placed their eggs in. Let's hope they don't drop them.