Colts' CB JuJu Brents ruled out vs. Cardinals with nose injury

In the second quarter of the Colts’ preseason game with the Arizona Cardinals, it was announced that cornerback JuJu Brents exited the game with a nose injury and would not return.

Brents was one of a few Colts’ starters on defense who did end up suiting up and playing in this game. My guess is that this is because Brents missed last week’s game against Denver.

On the CBS4 broadcast, it was reported that Brents had a bloody nose on the sidelines but was in good spirits. Larra Overton would add that Brents had a “scrape,” which was causing him to bleed.

Brents took some lumps during Wednesday’s joint practice with Arizona but bounced back on Thursday. He has largely put together a very solid training camp and secured his position as one of the starting boundary cornerbacks.

Injuries limited Brents during his rookie season with him missing offseason programs in 2023 and part of training camp, along with him only appearing in nine games during the season. For a still relatively inexperienced player, any reps are quite valuable.

“You just piggyback and learn from all the vets, for real,” said Brents during OTAs. “The one guy I did just follow behind was K-Mo. Just trying to figure out his daily routines, even like off the field. How he goes about his daily stuff, taking care of his body. That’s big for me. Just continuing to learn how to be a pro in that aspect.”

With the question marks that the Colts have in the secondary, a Year 2 leap from Brents would come with a massive impact for not only the cornerback position, but this defense as a whole.