FOXBORO, Mass. — After spending four months with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2017, Kenny Moore II believed his NFL career was over.
Turns out that was a premature thought from the standout cornerback of the Indianapolis Colts. Moore has gone on to have six strong years in the NFL with the Colts, including receiving a nod to the Pro Bowl last year, and the production has certainly caught the attention of Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
“Good football player. Very instinctive guy. Probably plays faster than his time. Gets a jump on a lot of things,” Belichick said Wednesday. “Tried to hang onto him, but just didn’t have room on the roster at that point. He’s had a really good career.”
The Patriots released Moore during the final roster cuts in September of 2017 before he quickly earned a role with the Colts. Moore seemed more than happy to pack his bags and leave New England behind, saying in a 2021 interview that his time with the Patriots made him feel “depressed.”
“That was one of the low spots of my life,” Moore told Tyler Dunne. “Because that’s really when I felt like, ‘I’m probably not built for the league.’ And having that feeling of, ‘You’re not good enough,’ that’s a bad feeling. You feel like you don’t belong. I lost all of my joy and passion. I didn’t even want to play football. I didn’t want to go to work anymore. I was depressed. I was trying to fight my way out of it.”
He added: “It just felt robotic. You don’t want to do anything else but go home and go to sleep because tomorrow is about to be crazy. I really felt like I was in the military. Like, damn.”
Rejuvenated in Indianapolis, Moore has become a central figure in the team’s secondary that now also features former Patriots lockdown corner Stephon Gilmore. Moore turned in his best season as a pro last year when he recorded four interceptions and a career-high 102 tackles.
Moore’s still looking to register his first interception of this season, and coming up with it against the team that gave him his first NFL chance could provide not only a sweet moment for the 27-year-old, but also show the Patriots what they missed out on.
The Colts and Patriots kickoff their Week 9 matchup Sunday from Gillette Stadium at 1 p.m. ET.
