Most of the NFL’s 2026 offseason moves are in the books. The opening wave of legal tampering is well behind us, while the NFL draft is now multiple weeks in the rearview.
But there are still opportunities for teams to improve their rosters.
An intriguing one just emerged.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Indianapolis Colts granted the request of Pro Bowl defensive back Kenny Moore to be released by the team. Moore is now a free agent.
Moore, 30, spent the first nine seasons of his career in Indianapolis. One of the league’s most accomplished slot corners of the past decade, Moore started 111 of his 132 games, recording 21 interceptions, 68 passes defended, and 649 tackles.
This past season, Moore recorded one interception (returned for a touchdown), six passes defended, two forced fumbles, 1.5 sacks, and 55 tackles in 14 games.
Should the Jets pursue the veteran?
At this point, that answer is most likely no.
Nearly one month ago, when the news surfaced that Moore had requested a trade, we broke down the possibility of New York pursuing him at Jets X-Factor. At the time, it seemed like an interesting option for the Jets. They had a need at the slot cornerback position, and Moore remains a solid player in that role, even if he is no longer a Pro Bowl-caliber performer.
However, the Jets proceeded to use a second-round pick (50th overall) on Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds. While Ponds played outside corner in college, his 5-foot-8 frame suggests that he will most likely start out in the slot for New York.
Ponds projects to compete with third-year man Jarvis Brownlee Jr. for the Jets’ starting slot corner role. Brownlee, a 2024 seventh-round pick of the Titans, was acquired by the Jets midway through the 2025 season. He showed promise in spurts, but was highly volatile in coverage, hence why the Jets drafted Ponds in the second round.
With the young duo of Ponds and Brownlee set to compete, the Jets don’t have much incentive to add a 30-year-old player to the mix. Still in the early stages of a rebuild, the Jets’ best course of action is to give as many reps as possible to younger players who could be part of the long-term solution.
If the Jets only had one young slot corner, adding Moore could make sense for the purpose of providing a high-floor fallback option in case the youngster did not work out. But now that Ponds has joined Brownlee in the cornerback room, the Jets are likely comfortable betting that at least one of them (ideally Ponds, of course) will prove worthy of a starting spot.
There are certain positions across the roster where it would make sense for the Jets to consider scooping up veteran talent late in the offseason, but slot corner probably isn’t one of them.
