Kenny Moore could be a steal for these 4 teams after CB’s release from Colts

There’s a new hot commodity on the free agent market after the Indianapolis Colts released veteran defensive back Kenny Moore II on Thursday. The slot corner had been seeking a trade. When none materialized, Indy opted to let him walk. Now he should get looks from contenders and would-be contenders looking for a potentially gamechanging addition to their secondary.

Moore is turning 31 in August, so he’s not likely to command a long-term contract. Teams looking to sign him will only need to commit a year or two to bring him in and they’ll pay him far less than the nearly $10 million base salary the Colts owed him.

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers are on the rise after scraping their way to the NFC South crown last season. They even pushed the Rams to the brink in the playoffs. They did all that while fielding a pretty porous defense for much of the year. The secondary struggled and the team asked far too much of second-year corner Chau Smith-Wade, who posted a 55.0 PFF grade with nearly 400 snaps in the slot.

As it stands, Carolina is set to walk into the 2026 season with Smith-Wade in that role again. Moore would be a far better option, even if he’s not coming off his most lockdown season. The veteran is simply a more capable coverage defender and he’d vastly improve the kind of run defense the Panthers have gotten from the slot as well.

The problem? The Panthers don’t have much cap space to work with. They would need to find some in order to afford Moore. He’s their best chance to improve their defense at this time of year, so it would be worth the reshuffling.

Dallas Cowboys

How do you fix the worst defense in the NFL? If you’re the Dallas Cowboys you start by adding Jalen Thompson and Cobie Durant in free agency. Then you draft Caleb Downs and Devin Moore. But is that enough? Maybe. Rival NFL executives think they’re heading for the playoffs. But you can never have too much help, right?

The Cowboys were a popular fit for Moore when trade rumors emerged. Of course, that was before they had Caleb Downs fall into their lap. The former Ohio State safety is a versatile weapon, one Dallas is likely to deploy in the slot from Day 1. So technically, the gap they were looking to fill with Moore has already been addressed.

Still, we’re talking about a defense that posted a league-worst coverage grade of 30.9 last season. The Cowboys have a massive hole to dig out of defensively and relying on a rookie so early could backfire. Jerry Jones could look to cover all his bases and make room for Moore anyways. Afterall, who better to mentor Downs than a nine-year veteran and Pro Bowler who has spent the majority of his career patroling the slot?

San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers added Jack Jones and Nate Hobbs to the secondary in depth roles this offseason. There’s still room to upgrade on Upton Stout, who handled slot duties as a rookie in 2025. Stout wasn’t bad in his debut, but he’s not the finished article. For the 49ers to make a Super Bowl push, they need better than “not bad.”

Moore would elevate that secondary with his coverage ability and run stopping. Moreover, his veteran precence could make a difference in what is a relatively green back five. Deommodore Lenoir is the oldest projected starter in the bunch at 26.

Maybe the 49ers like what they’ve got in Stout. Maybe adding Moore would answer a problem the coaching staff doesn’t think they have. That’s the advantage a team like SF has considering they’ve got $71 million or so in cap space. The DB wouldn’t even make a dent in that while shoring up a defense that had an overall PFF grade of 49.2. That’s the luxury San Francisco is working with.

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