Colts add veteran cornerback Xavier Rhodes

Posted by Darin Gantt on March 26, 2020, 4:44 PM EDT
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The Colts filled a need in the secondary with a veteran.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Colts are signing veteran cornerback Xavier Rhodes to a one-year deal.

The 29-year-old cornerback made the Pro Bowl last year, but the Vikings cut him in a cap-saving move before the start of the league year. He struggled at times last year, and didn’t seem to be a favorite of coach Mike Zimmer.

Rhodes had been No. 20 on our list of the Top 25 Remaining Free Agents. And now he isn’t.

The Colts had a need after cutting Pierre Desir earlier this week.

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20 responses to “Colts add veteran cornerback Xavier Rhodes”

  1. If the price is right singing Rhodes is a shrewd smart signing, he could end up really helping that defense.

  2. Get ready for him to throw his helmet a bunch and become mysteriously injured when someone beats him!

  3. Rhodes is a shell of his former self. Maybe signing a 1 year prove-it deal will snap him out of it, but I doubt it since last year was a contract year as well.

  4. Viking games I saw last year, he seemed to get beat a lot. I like it’s just a 1 year deal.

  5. He struggled at times last year, and didn’t seem to be a favorite of coach Mike Zimmer.
    ___________

    Let me correct that. He struggled at ALL times last year. He WAS a favorite of Mike Zimmer, which is why he continued to play. I have no doubt Zimmer wanted him back this year so he could “fix him,” but Spielman did the right thing letting him go.

    He was a great cornerback for a while but he fell off the table quickly and won’t be getting his mojo back.

  6. Good luck X Man. Gonna miss you in MN. I know last couple years been down, but the full body of work was exceptional.

  8. No corner has held Julio Jones in check the way Xavier has throughout the years. Yea I said it.

  9. I’m sorry, but this is a bad move. I had high hopes for him in Minnesota over the years. But what we saw last year looked like a rapid decline that won’t stop.

  10. I get that it’s a one year prove it deal and that Rhodes has a chance to rebound, but I am unsure what they get from him that they did not from Desir at this point in their respective careers.

  11. This may work IF the field is 200 yards so Rhodes can have plenty of space before the red zone.

  13. He was a good citizen and teammate his entire time in MN, a consensus All-Pro a couple years, a pro bowler a couple years and pretty much a disaster the last 2 years. If he hadn’t played so poorly in 2018, you theoretically could attribute his dang-near league worst CB ranking last year to injuries, but that really wasn’t the case. I like Rhodes and the Colts, and hope he plays well, but all indications are that his body has just broken down too much to effectively play CB. He’s got that big body that can’t keep up with WRs once his legs and flexibility go. I’ve thought the last 2 years he should move to safety, but then again, I’m just a dumb fan.

  14. I wish Rhodes the best. He’s good at covering the bigger receivers who aren’t speedsters, but he can’t cover the fast ones anymore. I thought he might have turned over a new leaf after a shut down of Julio Jones opening day last season, but that ended up being his best performance of the year.

    Hope he can turn things around in Indy.

  17. Change of scenery could be just what Xavier needs. Xavier played well in the playoffs. Good luck in Indy and thanks Xavier. Skol

  18. Reports are the Vikings offered to bring him back but he chose a fresh start in Indy. Thank God he did!

  19. As Rob stated, excuse me, now Rick, thanks for making us lose our usernames by the way PFT. Xavier was one of Zim’s favorites to his & the Vikings detriment. So sick of everytime he got burned deep, which was quite often, he’d fake an injury. He started to get burned repeatedly during 2017 which many people considered his best season. Well it wasn’t.
    I saw a doc on the 2017 NFCCG with Doug Pedersen & his coaching staff. They determined if you double team & chipped the Vikings D Ends then that ended their rush because in Zims scheme the tackles only cover against the run & the LB’s & D ends intermittently the safety will blitz or rush. Anyway they also noticed that on long patterns. The Vikings CB’s especially Rhodes but also Wayne’s had the tendency to stop covering the receiver on the play because they think the play was over & that as soon as they advised Foles that when the CB slows down thinking the play is over throw deep. Pedersen said they knew it would be complete everytime because the receiver would have a huge cushion. Foles executed that to perfection & the Vikings got shellacked by Phi. He said the Panthers did the same thing to the Vikings, Skins, Lions all used that strategy that year & it worked everytime so they knew they would complete some huge plays. He also said that Zimmer schemed his defense the same each game & didn’t make a specific scheme each game. That says a lot about film study & Zims utter inability to make any type of adjustment. Anyway that’s the same D Zim used in 2018 & we know that result. Film study & the Vikings coaches not spotting that was a problem. Rhodes & Wayne’s are both gone thankfully because the last couple of seasons on 3rd down passes the Vikings couldn’t stop anybody

    Rick Spielman is a Magician says:
    March 26, 2020 at 5:17 pm
    He struggled at times last year, and didn’t seem to be a favorite of coach Mike Zimmer.
    ___________

    Let me correct that. He struggled at ALL times last year. He WAS a favorite of Mike Zimmer, which is why he continued to play. I have no doubt Zimmer wanted him back this year so he could “fix him,” but Spielman did the right thing letting him go.

    He was a great cornerback for a while but he fell off the table quickly and won’t be getting his mojo back.

  20. That defensive backfield in MN is going to be a disaster. It takes awhile for the groups to learn to work together and they are going to have how any new pieces? 4 or 5?

    Colts are taking a shot to see if they can turn him around. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Rhodes be a casualty at cut down day. I think he’s done.

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