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Justin Walley

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/8/25

August 8th, 2025 at 7:31pm CST by Adam La Rose

Friday’s minor moves around the NFL:

Buffalo Bills

Dallas Cowboys

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Released from IR via injury settlement: CB Darius Rush

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Bills kicker Tyler Bass is currently dealing with pelvic area soreness, ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg notes. As a result, the team recently worked out a number of free agents to handle kicking duties during tomorrow’s preseason game. Davis – an undrafted rookie – was recently waived by the Jets, but he will get at least one opportunity to audition for a roster spot.

Ahmed was recently taken down in a Colts practice by a hip-drop tackle. As a result, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Stephen Holder report the veteran suffered an ankle injury. Ahmed’s attention will turn to rehabbing the ailment; unless he is released by way of an injury settlement, he will not play in 2025.

Colts CB Justin Walley Suffers ACL Tear

August 7th, 2025 at 9:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Justin Walley had impressed during the offseason program and into training camp, pushing hard to start alongside Kenny Moore and Charvarius Ward. A major injury will change the Indianapolis cornerback equation.

The Colts third-round rookie suffered an ACL tear. Shane Steichen confirmed postgame (via the Indianapolis Star’s Nate Atkins). This comes shortly after the third-year Colts HC confirmed Anthony Richardson had suffered a dislocated pinky finger.

Initially coming up as an option in the slot behind Moore, Walley made an offseason leap to the point he was being given real consideration to beating out JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones for the Colts’ boundary spot opposite Ward. The Colts have experienced issues at outside corner for multiple seasons, and this development thins their latest competition.

Brents has experienced frequent injury trouble since being drafted in the 2023 second round, missing 23 games. This included a 15-game absence last season, altering the Colts’ CB plans early. Walley’s setback comes as both Brents and Jones — a regular CB starter over the past two seasons — had missed camp time because of hamstring issues.

The Colts chose Walley 80th overall in April, further augmenting a position group bolstered by winning the Ward free agency derby. GM Chris Ballard followed through on his stripe-changing proclamation by handing both Ward and safety Camryn Bynum big-ticket deals on Day 1 of free agency. Moore is already tied to a three-year, $30MM deal. This still left one spot open at corner, and Walley had regularly mixed in with the first team — to the point he may have been moving ahead of Brents and Jones in the competition.

A Minnesota alum, Walley intercepted seven passes in four seasons with the Big Ten program. The 5-foot-11 corner returned an INT for a touchdown last season and blocked two kicks, earning second-team All-Big Ten acclaim. Walley’s rookie contract runs through 2028, but this injury will impact his time spent to claim a 2026 starting job, as a lengthy rehab odyssey is on tap.

49ers Did Not Offer Charvarius Ward Extension; Latest On Colts’ CB Corps

August 1st, 2025 at 5:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Charvarius Ward landed on his feet in free agency, joining a few third-contract-seeking cornerbacks in collecting a nice payday on Day 1 of the legal tampering period. That market settled in between $16-$18MM per year, and Ward landed a deal on the high end of that range by signing with the Colts.

The All-Pro corner’s three-year, $54MM deal matched the pacts given to Carlton Davis and Byron Murphy, and it came after a down year for Ward in San Francisco. Ward mourned the loss of his 1-year-old daughter, who died in October. Ward missed three games, but he admitted his 49ers tenure was going south independent of his personal tragedy.

“Even before everything happened with my baby, I really wasn’t super motivated,” Ward said, via The Athletic’s Michael Silver. “Because after the year I had in ‘23, I wanted a contract extension — because I wanted to stay — and I knew I wasn’t getting a contract offer. They came to me and kind of told me what it was, ’cause they had (other) people to pay. So it kind of had me in my feelings a little bit. I just never made it public.

“I was hurt when I realized I wasn’t getting a contract extension or even an offer for an extension. So, I wasn’t motivated; like, from OTAs all the way through camp, I was kind of pissed off. I knew when the season started it was a wrap for me in the Bay.”

Kyle Shanahan said the 49ers were interested in paying Ward, but their actions revealed he was almost definitely set to be a one-contract 49er. San Francisco paid their other starting corner, Deommodore Lenoir, weeks after the death of Ward’s daughter. Lenoir, more than three years younger than the 29-year-old Ward, became the corner the 49ers built their 2025 roster around. Ward joins Kenny Moore in a suddenly pricey Colts CB corps. The 49ers also let the likes of Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga and Aaron Banks walk; they have since paid Brock Purdy, George Kittle and Fred Warner as well.

PFR’s No. 23 free agent, Ward will be expected to reprise his 2023 form in Indianapolis. He earned second-team All-Pro acclaim for that season, which produced a 49ers NFC championship. In 2024, however, Ward yielded 61.5% accuracy as the closest defender. This corresponded with a rise in passer rating allowed (116.6 – up from 2023’s 64.5 number). Pro Football Focus had rated Ward as a top-six corner in both 2022 and ’23, but it dropped him to 93rd. Despite moving close to 30, Ward commanded a big market — one that included interest from the Saints and Chiefs.

Ward and Moore will anchor Indy’s CB cadre, but the team has seen rookie Justin Walley push for a starting role. Walley drew praise during the Colts’ offseason program, but other competitors for the team’s boundary job opposite Ward (Jaylon Jones, Julius Brents) were down with injuries. Hamstring issues have limited both in training camp as well. Walley has since continued his ascent to the point he appears the favorite to be the team’s third CB starter, The Athletic’s James Boyd notes. The Colts have given the third-round pick first-team work alongside Moore and Ward, according to the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson.

Although Walley worked with the starters during the first week of Colts camp, Erickson notes the competition is not over. Jones made 27 starts from 2023-24, helping the team cover for Brents’ injury trouble. Brents is a former second-round pick who arrived just before the Isaiah Rodgers gambling scandal emerged, but the Indianapolis native has played only 11 games in two seasons.

Walley was rumored to be a Moore heir apparent in the slot. At 5-foot-11, the Minnesota alum has filled in for the veteran staple there during camp as well. Moore is not in any danger of being displaced this year, but the Colts look ready to give Walley a big role in the not-too-distant future. That may start on the perimeter this season.

Colts Rookie CB Justin Walley Could See Field Early

July 5th, 2025 at 6:02pm CST by Ely Allen

Last year, the Colts fielded a strong trio of cornerbacks in Jaylon Jones, Samuel Womack, and Kenny Moore. The team then added Charvarius Ward on a three-year, $54MM contract in free agency. That made it all the more shocking when Indianapolis selected a cornerback — one with a Day 3 grade, mind you — in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Well, according to Stephen Holder, that selection stands a strong chance of contributing to the defense as a rookie.

The Colts cornerback trio was extremely impressive in 2024. Though the defense struggled as a whole, they ranked sixth in interceptions with Jones, Womack, and Moore combining to contribute eight interceptions and 28 passes defensed. The three players accounted for 92 percent of the team’s snaps at outside cornerback, while Moore doubled as the primary nickelback, as well, and all three defenders graded out in the top 45 players out of 116 at the position, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Then, the team added Ward to the mix. Ward had a bit of a down year in San Francisco last season, but he has been a consistently strong starter in every other season of his career. In 2023 alone, he reeled in five interceptions and led the NFL with 23 passes defensed. Ward’s presence likely pushes Womack down to CB4, granted he returns to his usual quality of play. So, with four strong cornerbacks in rotation, what could’ve prompted the Colts to use their second Day 2 pick on Minnesota cornerback Justin Walley?

A three-star recruit out of Mississippi, Walley started in six games as a rookie with the Golden Gophers and served as a full-time starter for the rest of his collegiate career. In four years, he tallied seven interceptions and 34 passes defensed. His speed and aggression put him on scouts’ radars, but his undersized frame had scouts thinking that he would be easily overpowered in that aggression against NFL competition. This led to projections of him being picked late on Day 3 of the draft in the last three rounds.

Per Holder, though, Walley has more than proved to be worth his draft stock so far in Indy. He’s reportedly been turning heads throughout the offseason, continuing his aggressive coverage while showing impressive instincts, as well. Head coach Shane Steichen noted that Walley “has been making a ton of plays through OTAs,” calling him “really sticky in coverage.”

With so many strong players at his position, he likely won’t be earning a starting role, but he’s looking to be too talented to keep off the field. The Colts are expecting for him to be part of their dime package and a frequent rotation in nickel, as well. He could end up being well worth the third-round pick used on him.

DB Notes: 49ers, Gordon, Lions, Colts, Titans

May 17th, 2025 at 12:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers‘ decision to let Charvarius Ward walk in free agency points to Renardo Green receiving an extended opportunity to become a full-time starter opposite Deommodore Lenoir. Extended months before Ward’s departure, Lenoir has worked as both a boundary and slot corner. His $17.96MM-per-year contract, which checks in far north of the slot-only market, reflects this versatility. But the 49ers have been unable to find a pure slot option since K’Waun Williams departed in 2022. The team will give third-round pick Upton Stout a shot to buck that trend, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco.

Standing 5-foot-8, Stout profiles as a slot performer. He excelled in the role in a college career spent at North Texas and Western Kentucky. Stout also led all DBs in the gauntlet drill and bench press (21 reps) at the Combine, creating an interesting profile. The 49ers’ issues in the slot have prompted them to use Day 2 picks on two corners (Green, Stout) since 2024; Stout proving up to the task would stand to limit Lenoir’s inside work. It will be interesting to see if the 49ers will keep their top cover man on the perimeter.

Here is the latest from NFL secondaries:

  • Kyler Gordon‘s $13.3MM-per-year deal set the market for slot patrolmen recently. That deal checks in more than $11MM south of Jaycee Horn‘s extension and a whopping $16MM-plus lower than where Derek Stingley Jr. has taken the boundary CB market. While a recent Trade Rumors Front Office post highlighted the value teams receive when they identify a quality slot defender, the Bears are not committed to keeping Gordon inside. New Bears DC Dennis Allen said (via ChicagoBears.com’s Larry Mayer) Gordon will train at safety and at outside corner in his scheme, as the team looks to increase its recently extended defender’s usage rate. Gordon played 97% of Chicago’s defensive snaps as a rookie, but upon shifting to more of a slot role in 2023, the former second-round pick has not cleared 80% in a season since.
  • The Lions will have 2024 second-round pick Ennis Rakestraw train on the outside in Kelvin Sheppard‘s first DC offseason, per Detroit Football Network’s Justin Rogers. Playing only 46 defensive snaps as a rookie, the 5-11 CB received what amounted to a redshirt year. The Lions used a premium pick on Rakestraw, though he does not look to have a path to a starting job in a secondary that will feature Terrion Arnold, D.J. Reed and Amik Robertson as regulars.
  • Detroit also added some depth in Avonte Maddox, a longtime Eagles slot corner who drifted to a backup role after a slew of injuries. Maddox will be expected to serve as a backup in the slot and at safety, according to Lions safeties coach Jim O’Neil (via Rogers). Maddox, who did make a pivotal pass breakup in Super Bowl LIX, saw his snap share drop to 33% last season — after he missed most of 2023. The eighth-year veteran is on a one-year, $1.42MM deal ($1.2MM guaranteed).
  • Titans third-round pick Kevin Winston, per HC Brian Callahan, is expected to be cleared for training camp after sustaining a partial ACL tear last year. Winston, who suffered the injury in early September, underwent knee surgery but had recovered in time to run at the Penn State pro day. The Titans chose Winston with the No. 82 overall pick.
  • The Colts roster one of the NFL’s best slot corners, and Kenny Moore is going into his ninth season with the team. Indianapolis, however, may be grooming an heir apparent. They team is likely to have third-round pick Justin Walley begin his offseason in the slot, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes. Moore’s three-year, $30MM contract features a fully guaranteed 2025 salary but no guarantees beyond this year. The Pro Bowl defender, who has protected the Colts at one CB spot while they have dealt with enduring issues on the perimeter, is going into his age-30 season.

Colts Sign TE Tyler Warren, Six Other Draft Picks

May 9th, 2025 at 11:16am CST by Adam La Rose

Seven of the Colts’ nine draft picks are on the books. First-round tight end Tyler Warren is among the draftees who are officially under contract, the team announced on Friday.

Warren’s four-year pact is worth $20.96MM, as noted by Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz. That figure is guaranteed in full and it includes an $11.88MM signing bonus. Like all Day 1 selections, Warren will be eligible to have his 2029 fifth-year option picked up.

The Penn State product entered the 2024 campaign ranked by many behind Colston Loveland as the top tight end in this year’s draft class. Warren made a strong push to change that perspective over the course of the campaign, though, finding success in a number of capacities on offense. During the pre-draft process, a number of evaluators saw him as TE1 as a result.

Just like Loveland, Warren was regularly connected to the Colts. Indianapolis has long struggled to find a productive contributor at the tight end position, and the No. 14 pick represented a prime opportunity to make an addition at that spot. Loveland came off the board 10th overall, but Warren was available when the Colts were on the clock. The team had the opportunity to trade down but chose to stay in place and add the Mackey Award winner. Warren will be counted on to contribute in the run and pass games right away, and if he develops as hoped he will serve a key role for years to come.

Indianapolis has also agreed to terms with cornerback Justin Walley (third round, Minnesota), offensive tackle Jalen Travis (fourth round, Iowa State), running back DJ Giddens (fifth round, Kansas State), quarterback Riley Leonard (sixth round, Notre Dame), defensive tackle Tim Smith (sixth round, Alabama) and safety Hunter Wohler (seventh round, Wisconsin). As a result, only second-round edge rusher J.T. Tuimoloau and sixth-round quarterback Graham Mertz remain unsigned.