Indianapolis Colts Address Cornerback Need by Signing Patrick Robinson

The Indianapolis Colts finally made a significant move in free agency. Wednesday, the team agreed to terms with veteran cornerback Patrick Robinson. The deal is reportedly a three-year contract. With Greg Toler departing Indianapolis this offseason, the Colts were desperately looking for his replacement. By signing Robinson, they have now filled that need.

Last season, Robinson started 10 of 16 games for the San Diego Chargers. For the Chargers, he earned 49 combined tackles, eight pass deflects and one interception. He also spent five years with New Orleans Saints prior to his arrival in San Diego. Over his entire career, he has accumulated 229 combined tackles, 54 pass deflections and 10 interceptions. He has always displayed excellent coverage skills due to his athleticism and size. The Colts are obviously hopeful Robinson will be a reliable starting cornerback for them.

This addition is a bit of a surprise for the Colts because there was plenty of speculation that Robinson was interested in other teams. Prior to meeting with the Colts, Robinson had already visited the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Rams. Fortunately for the Colts, none of those meetings led to a contract agreement. As a result, the Colts were able to make their pitch to Robinson in Florida during the annual NFL owners meetings.

The pitch the Colts made to Robinson definitely made an impression on him. In a conference call with reporters, Robinson said he “was sold halfway through the conversation” and already knew he wanted to be a Colt. Specifically, Robinson was swayed by head coach Chuck Pagano because of how “genuine” he was during their conversation.

With Robinson coming to Indianapolis, the Colts have filled their starting cornerback need to complement Vontae Davis. Robinson should instantly feel at home with the Colts because his position coach is Greg Williams, who coached him last season in San Diego. The Colts have been quiet in free agency so far, but the Robinson signing insures they will not be finishing it empty-handed. It will be interested to see if the Colts continue to make similar deals like this to fill their other needs.