INDIANAPOLIS — A risky move made out of desperation has come to an end for the Colts.

Veteran cornerback Xavien Howard decided to retire on Wednesday, three days after he struggled mightily in a 27-20 loss to the Rams, unable to hold up his side of the coverage in the Indianapolis secondary.

Indianapolis placed Howard on the reserve/retired list, promoting undrafted rookie safety Trey Washington to the 53-man roster to take his place.

“Throughout my career, I’ve always played football for the love of the sport,” Howard said in a statement posted on his Instagram account. “I enjoyed everything that came with being a part of the NFL, it was my passion for the game that drove me. I love and appreciate the Miami Dolphins for drafting me and giving me the chance to play pro football. I cannot thank the Indianapolis Colts enough for letting me continue to live out my dream but my dream has now changed.”

Howard, 32, had been wrestling with the way teams were attacking him. Two of the first four teams on the Indianapolis schedule, Sean Payton’s Broncos and Sean McVay’s Rams, clearly built their game plans around targeting Howard in the passing game, and he allowed 14 completions in 20 attempts for 183 yards and two touchdowns, a 131.9 quarterback rating.

Asked for a self-evaluation after the first four games, Howard put it succinctly.

“Not to my ability,” Howard said.

Howard used to be one of the game’s best cornerbacks. From 2018 to 2022, Howard led the NFL in interceptions twice, made the Pro Bowl four times and earned All-Pro honors twice, establishing himself as one of the true lockdown cornerbacks.

“He’s been a really good player in this league for a long time,” Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen said Monday.

But he suffered a Lisfranc injury on New Year’s Eve at the end of the 2023 season, and even though Howard worked out for multiple teams in 2024, he remained unsigned until the middle of training camp this season, a year away from football that played a key role in his decision.

“I’ve been getting closer to God and asking that He directs my path,” Howard wrote. “I am a man of faith and I believe wholeheartedly that He doesn’t make mistakes. He has led me to ending my career. I am now putting God and my priorities first. When I was away from the game in 2024, I fell in love with taking my kids to school, doing activities with them and watching them grow up. Up to that point I had always put my family after football. I’m no longer willing to do so. So today I am retiring from the National Football League.”

Indianapolis had a need at cornerback, and new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo had a long-standing relationship with Howard. The Colts had worked out Howard in the spring, putting him on the emergency lists they always keep in case a rash of injuries decimated a position.

When the Colts signed Howard, they were looking for a solution. Third-round pick Justin Walley initially looked like the team’s starting outside cornerback opposite Charvarius Ward, but Walley tore his ACL in a joint practice with Baltimore, ending his season before it began. Incumbent starter Jaylon Jones has been battling hamstring issues all season long; 2023 second-round pick JuJu Brents also dealt with a hamstring in training camp, convincing Indianapolis it was time to cut ties with the Warren Central product after just two seasons.

Indianapolis signed Howard to shore up the spot.

Anarumo placed the veteran in the starting lineup right away, believing the former All-Pro needed only to knock off the rust after missing the 2024 season.

Howard recovered a fumble and largely went unchallenged in a season-opening win against the Dolphins.

But the harmony didn’t last. With Ward out due to a concussion the next week, Denver attacked Howard, picking up seven completions, a missed red-zone tackle and three penalties in five plays. Indianapolis kept him in the starting lineup the next two weeks, and after an uneventful game against Tennessee, Howard was thrown into a matchup against the NFL’s leading receiver, Puka Nacua, on Sunday. Anarumo chose to put Ward on another star, Davante Adams, reasoning that Adams was more likely to create chunk plays.

“They’ve got two elite receivers, they both had the same targets coming into the game,” Anarumo said. “One had 35, one had 31 I think, so very similar. Puka had more catches, but the targets were the same and I think at the end of the day, they were going to attack the way they attack regardless.”

The Rams attacked Howard.

Nacua racked up 13 catches for 170 yards against Indianapolis, and on the rare occasions that Ward didn’t shadow Adams, the veteran receiver beat Howard for a pair of long gains.

The Colts had indicated this week that they planned to stick with Howard despite his struggles, although Anarumo did acknowledge the veteran’s struggles.

“Rust or no rust, we’ve got to make sure we’re out there and we’re guarding the guys that we’re tasked to guard,” Anarumo said. “We’ve all got to do a better job. Not just X, but me, everybody.”

Howard had been a starter, playing 84% of the snaps through the first four games.

With Howard unavailable, the Colts will likely turn to young cornerback Mekhi Blackmon against the Raiders. Blackmon, a 2023 third-rounder Indianapolis picked up in a trade with the Vikings at the end of training camp, has been deployed mostly against the opponent’s fastest receivers so far.

Indianapolis also has undrafted free agent Johnathan Edwards, who recorded his first career pass breakup against the Rams while playing just three defensive snaps, along with veteran Mike Hilton on the practice squad, although Hilton is currently filling Kenny Moore II’s role in the slot as Moore battles an Achilles injury.

The Colts will also have Jones back at some point. A two-year starter with nearly 2,000 snaps of experience, Jones has been a battler who finds a way to be successful, although the hamstring injuries have been a setback this season.

Howard was supposed to bring stability to the position. Unfortunately, the 32-year-old realized it was time to say goodbye to the game he once dominated.

“My purpose has been fulfilled in this sport, but my kids are more important to me than football,” Howard concluded his statement. “I’ve had a hell of a career, and even though it’s ending in a unique way, I’m cool with that because for once I’m putting my family first and I’m proud and excited about that decision.”