Previewing Colts’ SAF Depth Chart Entering 2022 Season
The wait is finally over. NFL training camps have begun across the landscape as teams gear up for the 2022 season.
The Indianapolis Colts are one of the teams that begin training camp later today. Colts training camp will take place at Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield, Ind., for the fourth consecutive season.
The Colts are a team that will see plenty of new faces taking on major roles for the 2022 season. Some position battles have already been determined, while others will be up for grabs throughout training camp. The Colts hope this competition leads to improved play all over the field.
As was the case a season ago, we have been previewing the Colts’ depth chart the last several weeks as we head into the 2022 season. Each position has been discussed, dissecting how the players stack up heading into the fall. The final group to preview as camp is set to begin is the safeties, where a young, but promising tandem could form a formidable duo in 2022 and beyond.
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Julian Blackmon
2021 Stats: 34 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 pass defended, 1 forced fumble
Blackmon started the 2021 season building off a stellar rookie campaign. In six games, Blackmon was closing in on a career-high in tackles and had matched his forced fumbles from a season ago. But everything changed on an October afternoon at the Colts practice facility.
Blackmon went up for a routine play on the ball to end practice and heard a pop. The young safety crumbled to the ground, knowing right when it happened his Achilles had been ruptured. The injury ended his season right when he looked to be establishing himself as a force on the Colts’ defense.
But Blackmon has gone through injuries like this before. He tore his ACL coming out of college and was able to return by Week 2 of his rookie season. Blackmon proved once again throughout the offseason how fast of a healer he is, and the safety will start camp with no restrictions on his Achilles.
The Colts believe Blackmon has All-Pro potential and will be a tremendous fit in defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s scheme. With more single-high safety looks, Blackmon will be tasked with roaming the center of the field and reading the quarterback’s eyes on each play. He can then use his explosiveness and ball instincts to make plays on the backend and help create more turnovers.
The Achilles now behind him, Blackmon can return his focus to being the ballhawk the Colts envision him to be.
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Nick Cross
2021 Stats (college): 66 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 3 interceptions, 2 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles
The Colts do not normally trade up for a player unless they have a strong conviction he will be impactful. So, what does it say about Cross that they traded back into the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft to take the young safety? Safe to say, the Colts have big plans for this rookie.
Those plans for Cross were put into motion earlier than expected. Former Colts starting safety Khari Willis announced his retirement in the spring to focus his life on joining the ministry. Willis’s retirement throws Cross right into the battle for the starting strong safety spot.
Cross is an exciting player who can play all over the field for the Colts. Whether as a deep safety, a box safety, or even in the slot, Cross has the speed and coverage ability to line up anywhere on defense while also possessing the physicality needed to help in run support. Cross has a nose for the ball as well, producing five turnovers in 12 games last season for Maryland.
Cross will be a top contender to start at strong safety. He has already impressed coaches with his film study and work ethic and will get every opportunity to prove he is up for the challenge. If Cross does win the starting job, he will form a young but formidable tandem with Blackmon that could make a lot of plays this fall.
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Rodney McLeod
2021 Stats: 58 tackles, 2 interceptions, 4 passes defended
The other safety who will be vying for the starting strong safety position is McLeod. McLeod signed a one-year, $1.77 million contract with the Colts this spring after spending the last six seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. McLeod started all 75 games he played with the Eagles and helped lead the secondary to a Super Bowl LII championship.
McLeod has plenty of starting experience with 123 starts in his ten-year career. He is a very smart football player who brings leadership to a young safety room. McLeod is also one of the better coverage safeties in the NFL over the past few seasons according to Pro Football Focus.
While McLeod has the up hand with starting experience, McLeod fits more into a free safety role – the position Blackmon plays – rather than strong safety where Cross fits better. But even if McLeod does not win the starting job, Bradley loves to play three safeties in his defense, allowing McLeod to get plenty of run. McLeod will also start camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list after having a minor procedure done on his knee.
Even in a backup role, McLeod can still be a great asset for the safety room and make plays when called upon for the Colts’ defense.
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Armani Watts
2021 Stats: 19 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 fumble recovery
The last safety that looks like a lock to make the team is Watts. Watts signed a one-year deal with the Colts this spring after spending the first four years of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Watts has held a backup role for the majority of his career, with only one start in 53 career games. While Watts may not bring a huge presence on defense, he has carved out a role as a special teams ace. Watts played over 70% of the special teams snaps for the Chiefs the past two seasons.
Watts may not be a name that is heard much on Sundays but has experience and can step in if one of the other three safeties goes down. The Colts value backend of the roster players who bring a punch on special teams, which is why Watts has a very good chance of making the roster.
Best of the Rest
The other safeties fighting for a roster spot have very different stories about how they found their way to the team.
Rodney Thomas II was the Colts’ seventh-round pick out of Yale in this past spring’s draft. Thomas can play both safety and cornerback, and the Colts plan to use him at both throughout the preseason.
Marcel Dabo comes to the Colts as part of the NFL’s International Pathway Program that helps international players get exposure to NFL teams. He was a member of the Stuttgart Surge in the European League of Football, where he was named a 2021 ELF All-Star and Defensive Rookie of the Year. Dabo played cornerback for the Surge, but the Colts see him as a safety.
Trevor Denbow signed as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2022 draft. He started 42-of-47 games at SMU over the past four seasons, compiling 181 tackles, two sacks, three interceptions, and four forced fumbles.
Of these three, Thomas II has the best chance to make the 53-man roster. His position versatility of playing cornerback and safety could be valuable to the Colts moving forward. Dabo will likely stick with the team through the international player practice squad exemption, allowing the Colts to keep him as an extra player on their practice squad.
Other Colts Depth Chart Previews
- Quarterbacks
- Running Backs
- Wide Receivers
- Tight Ends
- Offensive Tackles
- Interior Offensive Linemen
- Defensive Ends
- Defensive Tackles
- Linebackers
- Cornerbacks
Have thoughts on the Colts' SAF depth chart heading into the 2022 season? Let us know in the comments section below!
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