Colts Trade for CB Cassius Vaughn
The Colts have acquired another cornerback, this time via trade with Peyton Manning's new team: the Denver Broncos. The Colts received third year veteran CB Cassius Vaughn, while giving up FB Chris Gronkowski. Gronkowski landed on injured reserve last season (pectoral), and the Colts added Ryan Mahaffey and Jerome Felton at fullback. Felton is now a Viking, and Mahaffey looks to be the primary option at fullback in 2012.
Vaughn played in nine games last season, before a broken fibula relegated him to the injured reserve list, starting three. He massed 20 tackles, four pass defenses, and an interception return for a touchdown. He also can return kicks (averaged 30 yards per KR last season, albeit on only seven kicks), and PFF rated him positively returning the ball in 2011. It sounds like he's not great in coverage, but he's a decent run supporter, and is also a reliable gunner on special teams, something the Colts could obviously use. Vaughn also brings some depth to a talent-depleted secondary.
Good move by the Colts' front office, taking a guy who the Colts got off waivers last year, and may not have played this year, and turning him into a good special teams player with added depth in the secondary.
The Colts mentioned they wanted to be a fullback team more in 2012. How does this fit in or will we see more H-back situations with so many tight ends?
Also, where do you see Vaughn landing on the depth chart? Secondary is thin enough he may get some time if he survives camp.
@coltsauth_todd Mahaffey will likely be the primary fullback. I hope so anyway. The Colts' secondary situation is looking similar to last seasons, where the second CB was a revolving door. Vaughn will likely fit in that door somewhere.
Yeah I think the biggest positive is his special teams play, and the fact that he plays at a prime positions unlike Gronkowski. I would not say he has a ton of experience, basically the same amount as Kevin Thomas but he does bring depth, this probably does not bold as well for the UDFA out of Wisconson Fenelus, because I thought his biggest chance of staying on the team would be for his ST skills not there is not as big a need for them.
@paulcareyjr More experience than Thomas. Thomas missed all of his rookie year with that injury, he was basically a rookie last year.
@Kyle Rodriguez @paulcareyjr Yeah, and Vaughn only started 3 games and Thomas started 5 I believe, granted Vaughn played in 22 and Thomas only played in 9, but most of Vaughn's time in games was on special teams. Thomas in his one year of game experience he topped all of Vaughns statistics besides int's an PD where he was one off.
@paulcareyjr Good point. Vaughn still has more practice and simply more live action time though.
I'm with Pierre here. Win-win. We get more guys to try at DB and lose a pretty insignificant position. With the two TE sets we're likely to see a lot this year, I'm fine with just the one FB.
@JustAJ I should have been more specific. I meant a win for my team 1A to get Vaughn and a win for my team 1B to get Gronkowski III. I'd have been happy for the Colts to keep him, too.
