The safety position will be one of the bigger needs that the Indianapolis Colts have to address this offseason, whether that be in free agency, the draft, or both.
Not only in regards to the safety position, but with the secondary as a whole, GM Chris Ballard again spent a portion of his season-ending press conference answering questions about this unit, and again said, “we’ve got to get better.”
Ballard was a bit too bullish on the players he already had on the roster. And while strides were made by Nick Cross at safety and Jaylon Jones at cornerback, along with the emergence of Samuel Womack, the overall play on the back end still wasn’t good enough.
Compared to the rest of the NFL, the Colts’ pass defense allowed:
– The 5th-most yards per pass attempt.
– The 4th-fewest pass deflections.
– The 2nd-highest completion rate.
– The 10th-highest opponent passer rating.
In addition to the need for improved play, the Colts need depth at this position as well, with Cross, Rodney Thomas, and Marcel Dabo currently the only safeties under contract for 2025.
Is this the year we see Ballard take a deeper dive into free agency? If he’s going to emphasize adding competition throughout the roster, which he discussed at his end of season presser, then free agency will have to be a bigger part of the equation, and given the reasons mentioned, safety should be on the Colts’ radar.
Salary cap-wise, the Colts rank around the middle of the pack with over $24 million in cap space, although they have the ability to create quite a bit more room if needed.
With help from Pro Football Focus, here are the top available free agents at safety this offseason.
Jevon Holland, Miami Dolphins
The bulk of Holland’s playing time has come as a deep safety, which would allow Cross to stay at strong safety. This season, he forced three pass breakups and made 58 total tackles. For what it’s worth, he’s graded out well as a run defender by PFF’s metrics.
Talanoa Hufanga, San Francisco 49ers
Hufanga missed a portion of the 2024 season due to injury. In 2023, he was one of PFF’s higher graded run defenders at safety and tacklers as well. Over the last two years, he’s had no pass breakups and three interceptions.
Camryn Bynum, Minnesota Vikings
Bynum has shown to be a sound tackler and has had good ball production as well, tallying eight interceptions and 14 pass breakups in his four NFL seasons. Opposing quarterbacks’ average passer rating when targeting Bynum the last two seasons has been below 100.0.
Justin Reid, Kansas City Chiefs
Reid played more snaps closer to the line of scrimmage this season, which would mean either he or Cross would have to transition back to the free safety role. But Reid has been a very capable run defender and has good ball production with 12 pass breakups and three interceptions the last three seasons.
Harrison Smith, Minnesota Vikings
About as reliable as a safety as you’ll find and would likely be a good fit in Lou Anarumo’s defense with his ability to disguise coverages. Smith could fill the deep safety role for the Colts and is a player who is often around the ball.
Other free agent options to know
Tre’Von Moehrig, Las Vegas Raiders
Justin Simmons, Atlanta Falcons
Jeremy Chinn, Washington Commanders
Elijah Molden, LA Chargers
Andre Cisco, Jacksonville Jaguars
