{"id":866124,"date":"2026-04-14T09:51:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T09:51:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/866124\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T09:51:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T09:51:32","slug":"insider-issues-strong-take-to-vikings-on-colts-kenny-moore-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/866124\/","title":{"rendered":"Insider Issues Strong Take to Vikings on Colts\u2019 Kenny Moore II"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t<img width=\"780\" height=\"439\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/kenny-moore-II-indianapolis-colts.jpg\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" alt=\"Kenny Moore II, Indianapolis Colts\"   decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>(Photo by Justin K. Aller\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>Could the <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/minnesota-vikings\/harrison-smith-blunt-prediction-latest-remarks\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Minnesota Vikings<\/a> be a potential fit for a veteran player seeking a fresh start somewhere else? On April 10, <a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/48447175\/sources-colts-agree-seek-new-team-cb-kenny-moore-ii\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported<\/a>, citing sources, that the <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/indianapolis-colts\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Indianapolis Colts<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Kenny Moore II\u00a0have agreed to seek a trade to find the cornerback a new team.<\/p>\n<p>With Moore entering the final year of his contract, Schefter added in his reporting that both sides felt it was time to explore a trade.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/albert-breer-takeaways-prospect-who-makes-sense-for-jets-nfl-draft-2026#inline-text-73\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">In his April 13 column for Sports Illustrated<\/a>, NFL insider Albert Breer mentioned that a potential trade partner for the Colts could be the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/minnesota-vikings\/\" title=\"Vikings\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"225293\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Vikings<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs for potential landing spots, I think Dallas would be one, with the nickel being an important piece in new coordinator Christian Parker\u2019s defense and the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/dallas-cowboys\/\" title=\"Cowboys\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"225294\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cowboys<\/a> having a hole after Jourdan Lewis\u2019s departure to the Jaguars last year,\u201d Breer wrote. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Vikings are another potential fit, with Moore\u2019s versatility meshing, at least on paper, with how DC Brian Flores builds his defense. Those teams being in the NFC should also make them likely suitors, assuming Indy would rather not help out a conference rival.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Last season for the Colts, <a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pff.com\/nfl\/players\/kenny-moore\/51596\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">Moore II posted a 66.7 overall PFF defensive grade<\/a>, ranking 39th out of 114 qualified cornerbacks. His 62.1 coverage grade placed 58th at the position, while his 84.4 run-defense grade ranked fifth.<\/p>\n<p>He finished the year with one interception and three pass breakups. Opposing quarterbacks had an 89.2 passer rating when targeting him, and he allowed 43 receptions in coverage. Moore II also added 41 solo tackles in run support and in the open field.<\/p>\n<p>Vikings Could Use a Veteran Voice In the Secondary<\/p>\n<p>The Vikings might need another veteran in the secondary, as Harrison Smith has yet to decide whether he\u2019s returning for the 2026 NFL season or retiring. Even with the uncertainty, Alec Lewis, who covers the Vikings for The Athletic, believes Smith will be back, as he included the veteran safety in his projections for the safety position in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSmith has not ruled out a return,\u201d\u00a0<a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7152417\/2026\/03\/30\/vikings-roster-projection-nfl-draft\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">Lewis wrote in his article that\u00a0was published\u00a0on March 30<\/a>. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t feel like a decision is imminent, either. The Vikings don\u2019t plan to push him for a decision, knowing they need to plan for the future regardless. Smith is 37 years old. If he plays, he\u2019ll want the chance to bring a Super Bowl to the organization he\u2019s given his career to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Minnesota Isn\u2019t Pressing Harrison Smith for a Decision<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, Lewis might be right about a decision not coming soon. On March 30, Vikings head coach Kevin O\u2019Connell spoke with the media and shared the latest regarding where the organization stands on allowing Smith to take the time he needs to decide whether he wants to play in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe knows how I feel about him, how we feel about him,\u201d O\u2019Connell said (h\/t\u00a0<a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SeifertESPN\/status\/2038645230262698178\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">Kevin Seifert of ESPN<\/a>). \u201cBut we also want to be respectful and give him space\u00a0to kind of continue\u00a0to figure out what he wants to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Smith finished the 2025 season with a\u00a0<a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pff.com\/nfl\/players\/harrison-smith\/7641\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">68.9 overall PFF grade<\/a>, placing 31st among 98 qualifying safeties. His coverage work earned a 69.0 grade, good for 29th at the position, while his run-defense grade of 61.7 ranked 78th.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, Smith played 793 snaps, notching two interceptions and three pass breakups. The Vikings veteran allowed a passer rating of 81.0 when targeted, opposing quarterbacks completed 21 passes against him, and Smith added 42 solo tackles.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/eddierazo91\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Eduardo Razo<\/a> Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area &amp; California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/eddierazo91\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">More about Eduardo Razo<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Vikings\n\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty (Photo by Justin K. Aller\/Getty Images) Could the Minnesota Vikings be a potential fit for a veteran&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":866125,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2073],"tags":[7,233,259,2529,6,234],"class_list":{"0":"post-866124","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-minnesota-vikings","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-minnesota","10":"tag-minnesota-vikings","11":"tag-minnesotavikings","12":"tag-nfl","13":"tag-vikings"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116402450574340516","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=866124"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866124\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/866125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=866124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=866124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=866124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}