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INDIANAPOLIS — The biggest name the Colts lost at the roster deadline has signed with the opponent who will be on the other sideline for the season opener.
Miami claimed 2023 second-round pick JuJu Brents, a cornerback who started eight games as a rookie but couldn’t shake the injury bug in Indianapolis.
The Colts ultimately decided that the Warren Central High School product’s injuries were too much to overcome to stay on the roster.
“The poor kid just had bad luck,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard said. “He’s a great young man, he’s very talented. He’s just had some bad luck.”
Brents arrived in Indianapolis after undergoing wrist surgery in the weeks after the draft, suffered a pulled hamstring in training camp that forced him to open the season on the sidelines, then dealt with a quadriceps injury that cost him six games.
A broken nose suffered in the 2024 preseason cost Brents games, but he emerged from training camp as a starter in his second season … only to suffer a torn MCL and meniscus that cost him the next 15 games. When Brents returned for the season finale, he suffered another injury.
Brents pulled a hamstring on July 29 this year, forcing him to miss almost all of training camp. The third-year cornerback returned to the lineup for the preseason finale against the Bengals and played two series, but Indianapolis has added veteran cornerback Xavien Howard and Vikings cornerback Mekhi Blackmon, forcing the Colts to make a tough decision.
“I’m hoping for him, a change of scenery, he’ll get it turned around and he can stay healthy,” Ballard said.
Miami has dealt with its own issues at cornerback this offseason.
Brents could get a chance to prove to his former team that the Colts made a mistake.
Joel A. Erickson covers the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
