The Houston Texans all of a sudden have one less Pro Bowl cornerback to deal with in the AFC South.
According to multiple reports, the Indianapolis Colts and Pro Bowl cornerback Kenny Moore II have mutually agreed to work on a trade. This would officially end a nine-year run with the franchise, as the 30-year old will be entering the final year of his contract.
Moore has been a stalwart in the Colts' secondary for years, playing in 132 regular season games and accumulating 649 tackles (498 solo, 151 assist), 11.5 sacks, six fumbles (two recovered), 21 interceptions, four touchdowns, 67 passes defended and one Pro Bowl.
The Texans are big winners in this development, as Moore's impending exit represents an even larger advantage for the offense. This news follows a string of troubling updates for the Colts secondary, including Sauce Gardner's continued recovery from last season's calf injury and Charvarius Wards' chronic concussion issues that might lead to his retirement.
Texans' offense has larger advantage amid Colts, Kenny Moore II trade situation
In season one of offensive coordinator Nick Caley's new scheme, Houston swept the Colts 2-0 in their divisional matchups during the season. While accomplishing the feat, the unit racked up 58 total points, 703 total yards, 46 first downs, five touchdowns and a 38.5% third down mark. Granted, Gardner only played a portion of game one before his calf injury took him out, and game two was a week 18 contest with no real stakes for either team.
Regardless of the contributing circumstances for each game, quarterback C.J. Stroud and co. were able to overcome Indy's defensive coverages and walk out victoriously each time. Moore played in both games, but his contributions weren't enough to make a real difference for Indy's secondary. With him now on the way out, and the Texans heading into year two in Caley's offense, things are going to look even better in the offensive production department against the Colts.
Caley offense in Houston should be even better in year two
Year two with Caley at the helm is projected to produce a more impactful offense, especially with the addition of multiple key pieces like running back David Montgomery, offensive linemen Braden Smith and Wyatt Teller, a returning weapon in wide receiver Tank Dell and the future infusion of freshly drafted talent in a little over two weeks' time.
If that indeed comes to pass, then the Texans have an even clearer runway towards reclaiming the AFC South crown in 2026, while the Colts will potentially miss out on a first place divisional finish for the 12th time since 2014.