Sanders, who missed parts of 2008 and 2009 with knee injuries, could benefit from added rehabilitation time at the end of last season. He has participated in off-season conditioning in recent weeks, and if he returns, a defense that improved last season will have the benefit of one of the league’s most dominant defensive players.
The Colts didn’t address safety in the 2010 NFL Draft, and while that could be indication that they expect little issue with Bethea returning, it also is indication that their depth there is solid. Primarily, that’s because of fourth-year veteran Melvin Bullitt, who has started extensively in Sanders’ place each of the past two seasons.
While Bullitt is not the above-the-Xs-and-Os playmaker Sanders is, he has played solidly enough that the Colts’ defense doesn’t sustain a huge dropoff in Sanders’ absence. If Sanders can play an entire season, Bullitt gives the Colts’ a three-player safety rotation on par with any in the NFL. If he can’t, he enables the Colts’ defense to withstand the loss and remain a post-season contender.
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