How Julian Blackmon Can Help Colts' Cornerback Situation

The Indianapolis Colts could look to one of their own in safety Julian Blackmon as a solution for a very thin cornerback room.

At the beginning of the offseason, one of the many position groups for the Indianapolis Colts that needed help was cornerback.

There were many reasons for this. For starters, the Colts' best cornerback Stephon Gilmore was entering his age-33 season in 2023 despite playing at a very high level in 2022. Kenny Moore II did not click well with defensive coordinator Gus Bradley's scheme and was not a sure thing to be back as no guaranteed money remains on his deal. Brandon Facyson was likely to be a one-and-done player after a poor season in Indy.

Fast forward to today, and the situation is even worse for the Colts. While Moore is still around, Gilmore was dealt to the Dallas Cowboys for a fifth-round pick. Facyson signed with the Las Vegas Raiders on a two-year deal.

Outside of Moore and Isaiah Rodgers Sr., who is poised to finally get a chance as a full-time starter after a very solid 2022 season, the Colts do not have any other cornerbacks on the roster who currently have regular starting experience. Tony Brown and Dallis Flowers are two others that could contribute, but they have spent the majority of their time on special teams.

There are still quality free agents on the market, and the NFL Draft offers plenty of depth at cornerback. But the Colts may already have someone on the roster who can help shore up the cornerback room.

That would be Julian Blackmon. Blackmon has been one of the Colts' starting safeties for the past three seasons. Now in a contract year, he may need to switch to cornerback.

Blackmon began his football journey as a cornerback in high school. He was a three-year starter at corner at Layton High, totaling 52 tackles and six interceptions. It was enough for him to earn a scholarship with the Utah Utes.

Once at Utah, Blackmon entered the starting lineup for the Utes by his sophomore season. He quickly became one of the best cornerbacks on the team, leading the Utes in passes defended for two straight seasons on his way to being named second-team All-Pac 12 both years. Blackmon also led the team in interceptions and won the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl MVP award in 2017.

© Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

Blackmon made the switch to safety his senior year at the request of his coaches. The Utes had a lot of talent at corner, but the team needed Blackmon to step up to help another area of the defense. Being the teammate he is, Blackmon did it in a heartbeat. In two years as a starting cornerback, Blackmon racked up 96 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions, and 21 passes defended.

Now to someone who has not paid close attention, it may seem far-fetched to think Blackmon could pick up right where he left off at cornerback in college and transfer it to the NFL. Except, he has already begun the transition in a sense.

During the final five games of the 2022 season, Moore was held out due to an ankle injury. Instead of the Colts turning to Brown to fill in, they turned to Blackmon to take over as the slot cornerback for the Colts.

“We had some hard discussions on this because Tony Brown was the backup nickel going into the season," Bradley admitted last season. "He was doing a good job, but we felt like we were trying to find a way to get Julian on the field ... Julian is a guy that is really sharp. He’s played strong safety, played free safety. It was the more you can do. We felt like he’s a guy that once he’s on the field, he can make some big plays for us, and we want him around the ball."

At the time, Blackmon was splitting reps at safety with rookie Rodney Thomas II. Thomas played very well in Blackmon's stead as Blackmon dealt with an ankle injury of his own. Because of how well Thomas was playing, the Colts did not want to take him off the field.

Moore going down allowed Blackmon back on the field. As he began to learn the position at the NFL level, Blackmon improved each week. He ended the season with his best game as a cornerback, garnering a 73.6 overall grade from Pro Football Focus and finishing with eight tackles, one tackle for loss, and a fumble recovery.

© Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Blackmon took 301 snaps at cornerback last season compared to 348 at free safety. His position flexibility makes him very valuable to the Colts' secondary. Considering what is happening now in Indy is the opposite of what Blackmon went through at Utah, this may be truer than ever.

The Colts do not have an abundance of talent at cornerback, but rather safety. Thomas proved he is more than capable of being a starting safety in the NFL. He finished his rookie campaign with 52 tackles and a team-leading four interceptions in ten starts.

The Colts also have another talented safety waiting in the wings in Nick Cross. General manager Chris Ballard traded back into the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft to take Cross, betting on his athletic ability and upside. While Cross did not play much last season due to the stellar play of Rodney McLeod, the team seems ready to unleash him as the starting strong safety in 2023.

Because of the talent at safety, a move to cornerback by Blackmon could be a huge lift to the Colts' secondary. It may be how Blackmon can stay with this team long-term and earn a second contract in Indy.

"With Julian, it’s a matter of giving us that flexibility to where he can play strong (safety), free (safety) and nickel and when it’s all said and done, we evaluate things and take a look at it," Bradley explained when asked about Blackmon's future at cornerback. "Julian does have a great skillset and (we) feel like the longer he plays the position he has a chance to do some good things for us.”

There is still plenty of time for the Colts to add more cornerbacks to the roster through free agency and the draft. Additions from both areas may indeed happen.

But Blackmon at cornerback is always an option, one the Colts may want to take advantage of.

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