Kenny Moore II Tops List of Best Slot Cornerbacks
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Cornerback Kenny Moore II is not one of the top 25 highest-paid players at his position. Through the first two weeks of offseason workouts, he’s reportedly not been participating in team workouts in the hopes of landing a new contract.
It’s safe to say that analyst Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus would argue that Moore has earned more money.
On a list of the NFL’s best slot cornerbacks heading into 2022, Treash placed Moore at the very top of the rankings at No. 1.
“There’s no denying his ability to see the game at a high level — his instincts and processing are vital traits for a slot corner, and he checks the box with flying colors,” wrote Treash.
Kenny Moore II Undervalued as Top Slot Cornerback in NFL
Treash began his article ranking slot cornerbacks by arguing that the position is the most undervalued spot in the NFL. Then, it stands to reason that Moore is one of the most undervalued players in the league.
Despite slot corner traditionally being a position for a team’s third-best cornerback, Moore played nearly 1,000 more snaps than any other Indianapolis Colts cornerback last season. He lined up for 97.4% of the team’s defensive snaps, which was ranked second highest on the team.
Moore has played in 75 games for Indianapolis over the last five years. Since the start of 2018, he’s appeared in at least 92% of the team’s defensive snaps every season.
“No one has played more slot coverage snaps since 2018 than former UDFA Kenny Moore,” Treash wrote. “In that span, he’s been the biggest playmaker at the position: His 12 interceptions from the slot are three more than any other player over the last four seasons, and his 1.33 wins above replacement is well above any other predominant slot corner over that stretch.”
In 61 career starts, Moore has 14 interceptions and 45 pass defenses. He also has 7.0 sacks, 358 combined tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits, 4 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and a touchdown in his career.
Kenny Moore’s Contract Situation With the Colts
Based on average annual salary, Moore will be the 27th-highest paid cornerback in the NFL this season. He won’t even be the highest paid Colts cornerback, as that title goes to Stephon Gilmore, who signed a two-year, $20 million deal in April.
Without a doubt, Moore has earned an increase in pay. But it doesn’t appear that’s coming this offseason.
Colts staff writer Stephen Holder of The Athletic reports Indianapolis has “no intention of addressing Moore’s contract.” Holder wrote that Indianapolis views Moore’s current deal as “a fair contract” that Moore agreed to in 2019. The Colts typically don’t renegotiate deals.
Moore can play hard ball and not show up to training camp, but this could be more detrimental than helpful to him. Missing training camp days could result in fines, and if his absence lingers into the regular season, he would miss game checks. In a worse-case scenario, the season wouldn’t count as an accrued year towards his contract, meaning Moore would still have two years remaining on his deal even after 2022.
Being ranked the league’s top slot cornerback will only fuel Moore’s desire for a new contract, but it won’t have any impact on negotiations.
