Should the Colts find its next starting safety via the NFL Draft or Free Agency?

The Colts have a big need at Safety, but through which avenue(s) will they address said hole(s)?

In recent years, the Indianapolis Colts have trotted out young and inexperienced defensive backs to start at their safety positions. Dating back to the 2020-21 season, there have only been a few instances where a veteran safety starts in the Colts’ defensive backfield.

The unit in question has featured better-than-expected outputs from a number of the following players, though plenty’s been left to be desired. Since 2020, here’s how Indy’s starting safety tandem (or group) has looked each year:

2020: rookie Julian Blackmon, second-year Khari Willis

2021: third-year Khari Willis (10 starts), eleven-year veteran Andrew Sendejo (10 starts), fourth-year special teamer (7 starts), second-year Julian Blackmon (6 starts)

2022: ten-year veteran Rodney McLeod (15 starts), third-year Julian Blackmon (11 starts), rookie Rodney Thomas II (10 starts)

2023: fourth-year Julian Blackmon, second-year Rodney Thomas II

2024: fifth-year Julian Blackmon, third-year Nick Cross

Fast-forward to the 2025 off-season and the Colts have three rostered safeties in Nick Cross, Rodney Thomas II, and Daniel Scott. Cross is coming off a strong campaign as a first-year starter and is slated to start in 2025, Thomas II lost his starting gig to the player we just touched on, and Scott has yet to record an NFL snap after back-to-back season-ending injuries before the season kicked off.

As alluded to, the Colts’ safety room has been littered with rookie contract contributors with middle-of-the-road veterans to fill the gap depth-wise. Julian Blackmon’s tenure in Indianapolis has been rocky when you take into account his injury history. This off-season, however, will provide an opportunity for the Colts to find its next longtime starter in the backend.

Top Free Agency Safeties

Longtime Veterans: Justin Simmons, Quandre Diggs, Damontae Kazee

Younger Veterans: Jevon Holland, Jeremy Chinn, Justin Reid

Top 100 Safeties in NFL Draft Class: Georgia’s Malaki Starks, Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts, South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori, Texas’ Andrew Mukuba, Virginia’s Jonas Sanker, Ohio State’s Lathan Ransom

Whether or not the Colts choose to utilize free agency or the NFL Draft to find its starting safety of the future, both classes offer avenues to right the ship. Electing to value experience over potential may just be what Indy’s defensive backfield needs while its cornerback room shakes itself out. If the inverse is what the Colts’ front office chooses (contributor-level additions via free agency and spending top draft capital on its next starter), there are a number of top safety prospects to justify the decision.

Bringing in a new starter to play alongside Nick Cross is certainly priority number one for the Colts’ safety room, however, adding depth remains its own challenge. Perhaps the Colts elect to bring in contributor-level players via free agency while using one of their first two draft selections on a will-be starter, or vice versa. The good news is that both the upcoming free agency and draft class(es) are primed with worthy talent.