The Indianapolis Colts have plenty of questions surrounding in-house free agents to make decisions on like Will Fries (guard), Dayo Odeyingbo (edge), and Ryan Kelly (center).
Another player in question is Julian Blackmon (safety), who came off a statistically good season, but context is needed. While he had 86 tackles, three interceptions, and four passes defended, Blackmon struggled in other metrics.
Per Pro Football Focus, Blackmon missed 15 tackles and performed underwhelmingly compared to 2023 when he led the squad in interceptions. Despite this, Sports Illustrated‘s Matt Verderame believes Blackmon is the top free agent and worth a multi-year deal.
The Colts’ secondary has been an area of concern for years, but not because of Blackmon. The 26-year-old has played five years in Indianapolis and quietly produced. Last year, Blackmon posted 86 tackles and three interceptions, and now stands to cash in with a mid-sized deal. The Colts would be wise to retain him for new coordinator.
Verderame points out Blackmon’s production over the past seasons, but there’s a reason Indianapolis wasn’t in a rush to re-sign him in 2024. Blackmon ended up testing free agency only to end up back on the Colts for a cheap one-year, $3.89 million contract.
Blackmon’s numbers don’t tell the whole story; he played through a brutal labrum injury that grossly limited him and aided in so many of his tackles whiffing.
Blackmon isn’t a starter-level safety for the Colts, meaning he likely won’t command an expensive multi-year deal. With Nick Cross‘ ascension and the notion Indianapolis needs more talent at safety, it’s unrealistic that Blackmon is a prominent re-signing.
Indianapolis can use Blackmon as more of a rotational piece in Anarumo’s defense, but not a bona fide starter. An imaginary safety room of Cross, a draft pick, outside free agent, and Blackmon is enticing, especially with how much they need competition.
The Colts can no longer take the secondary lightly, safety included. As mentioned in past articles, for Anarumo’s defense to truly take off it takes dynamic safety and cornerback play. It’s no offense to Blackmon, but handing him a multiple-year deal isn’t wise.
Chris Ballard has to be careful with the free agent situation. Who will take importance over others? Currently, the top guys to look into retaining are Fries and Odeyingbo, with the belief that Kelly will be allowed to test free agency and Blackmon isn’t the pedigree he once was.
If the Colts decide to put Blackmon back into the defensive ranks, it’s a decision to use him in situational roles. There’s still time to make tough choices on these in-house talents, but Blackmon may be on the outside looking in when it’s all said and done.