The phrase "next man up," while common in every NFL locker room, has been used especially frequently by the Colts throughout the first four weeks of the season – particularly among the cornerbacks.
First, JuJu Brents sustained a knee injury in Week 1 and was placed on injured reserve. Then it was eight-year veteran Kenny Moore II, who suffered a hip injury at the end of the Colts' win over the Chicago Bears in Week 3 and didn't play in Week 4's win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Moore also did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday ahead of the Colts' Week 5 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, saying he's "still working through it to get back on the field." On Friday Moore was ruled out for Sunday's game.
Those injuries have left it to the rest of the Colts' cornerbacks to step up.
Jaylon Jones had a career day against the Bears, snagging his first two career interceptions and recording five tackles and one tackle for loss to earn AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Against the Steelers, the standout plays came from Chris Lammons and Samuel Womack III.
Lammons sacked Steelers quarterback Justin Fields on a crucial third down in the third quarter, forcing a fumble and then recovering the ball himself. Lammons, who is in his second season with the Colts and fifth season in the NFL, recorded a career-high five tackles on the day.
Womack tallied one tackle and two passes defensed in the Colts' win, including a pass breakup in the third quarter that forced a punt return and kept the Steelers from even crossing the 50-yard line on the drive.
"That's the expectation around here," Moore said Wednesday. "Just not having a drop off. Just being prepared for the opportunity, making sure you know what to do to go out there and do your job."
"I feel like it shows that anybody that comes in can step up and play at the same type of level," Womack said. "I feel like it shows the depth and the work that we put in each week and then it just opened our eyes to this group, to this team, to this defense of what we're capable of."
Lammons has moved between the practice squad and the active roster throughout his NFL career, and Womack arrived in Indianapolis at the end of August after the Colts claimed him off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers.
"He's a guy that just has the 'it,'" Jones said of Womack. "Just from day one been executing, man... He's just a guy that understands the position and knows how to execute."
In 66 coverage snaps so far this season, Womack has been targeted just three times. He's recorded a pass break-up two out of those three times. The third-year cornerback made it clear how much he wants to win when he joined the Colts, and he's proven it.
"The competitor aspect and just the mindset of, you know, it doesn't matter who he's guarding, it doesn't matter what's going on, he believes he can make the play," Jones said. "That's great to have that in our room, and great to have on the team."
Womack and Lammons each played the most snaps they have all season against the Steelers, at 56 and 45, respectively. Lammons was on the field for seven snaps against the Bears in Week 3, but prior to that he hadn't seen a single snap since Week 17 of the 2023 season, when he played 60 snaps against the Las Vegas Raiders.
"It was just our preparation throughout the week, the way the coaches put us in position," Lammons said about the way he and the rest of the defense stepped up. "The way the whole defensive unit came together as one and just said 'Hey, you know what, if we're gonna come back home and get a win we've got to step it up and come together and make that happen.'"
