Samuel Womack III continues to shine in Colts secondary

The Colts’ early season waiver claim has been playing with his food since he became a starter.

In back-to-back weeks, Samuel Womack III has stacked strong days. It took an unfortunate season-ending injury and a slew of poor performances to get his shot, but six games into the season, Womack III has solidified himself as the team’s starting cornerback opposite Jaylon Jones.

As pointed out previously, Samuel Womack III was among the most popular waiver claims to kick off the 2024 NFL Season. He received the second-most claims via the waiver wire, netting claims from the Colts, Chiefs, and Eagles. Through four games started, it’s easy to see why.

Womack III’s admittedly not facing the same talent as his running mate Jaylon Jones, but what he’s shown as the defense’s CB2 thus far is nothing short of impressive.

Since his elevation, Womack III has been as sticky as one can be in coverage. Against the Titans in Week 6, he allowed just one reception on five targets for a whopping 2 yards. Not only has Womack III been a consistent force in coverage, his ability as a tackler has been equally as impressive.

On top of allowing just 21 yards on 12 targets through 4 starts, Womack III has tallied eight tackles and three stops while missing zero tackles. Womack’s strong start thus far has earned Pro Football Focus’s 3rd-highest grade (87.0) among qualifying cornerbacks (20% minimum snaps) leaguewide.

Again, things may have shaken out differently had Womack been given Jaylon Jones’ responsibility, but one thing cannot be denied and that is the fact he belongs. At worst, Womack III is a viable starting cornerback in the NFL, which is a massive, almost necessary development for Indy’s cornerback room that had been a collective question mark heading into the season.