The Indianapolis Colts must upgrade their secondary. Therefore, signing Charvarius Ward would be an excellent move. Ward, who played the past three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, will be one of the top cornerback free agents this offseason.
The Colts’ secondary struggled mightily in 2024. Following the season, the team parted ways with defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and replaced him with Lou Anarumo. Perhaps Anarumo can get Indy’s defense back on track in 2025. Adding a playmaker like Charvarius Ward, who possesses elite coverage skills, is certainly the answer.
Colts Need to Sign Super Free Agent Cornerback Charvarius Ward
His Career Thus Far
Charvarius Ward went undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft. However, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys one day later. Ward never made it to the regular season with the Cowboys, though, as he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in August 2018.
During his rookie year with the Chiefs, Ward started two of his 13 regular season contests and a playoff game. Ward started all 16 games the following season. He also helped the Chiefs win Super Bowl LIV over the 49ers. Ward had four tackles in the game. Ward would help the Chiefs reach the Super Bowl for a second straight season, but they fell to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He then signed with the 49ers during the 2022 offseason. In 2023, he recorded five interceptions, 72 tackles (two tackles for loss), five interceptions, and a league-leading 23 pass deflections. As a result, he earned Pro Bowl honors and was named a second-team All-Pro. Also that season, Ward helped San Francisco reach the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Chiefs 25-22 in overtime. He had four tackles in the game.
Last season, Ward was limited to only 12 games due to injury but was effective when he was on the field. He recorded 54 combined tackles and seven passes defended.
Why the Colts Should Sign Him
The Colts finished 24th in scoring defense and 29th in yards allowed during the 2024 season. Their secondary was shredded throughout the year. A good example is their embarrassing Week 17 loss to the New York Giants. New York’s Drew Lock, who’s not exactly a superstar quarterback, passed for 309 yards and four touchdowns in that game, which eliminated the Colts from playoff contention.
Charvarius Ward won’t single-handedly transform the Colts’ secondary into an elite unit. But his addition will help out immensely. He can team with holdovers like Kenny Moore II, Jaylon Jones, and JuJu Brents to give Indy a quality cornerback room in 2025. Moore is hands-down one of the league’s best nickel cornerbacks. Jones had a breakout year in 2024, but Brents has struggled to stay healthy ever since he was drafted in 2023. If he can somehow shake off the injury bug, he could develop into a star outside corner for the Colts.
Ward would bring playoff experience to the Colts’ locker room and help change the team’s losing culture. He has made the playoffs in six of his seven seasons, and played in three Super Bowls, winning one.
The Colts didn’t improve the secondary much last offseason. They need to reel in Ward, who’s considered a shutdown corner, this spring.
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