Colts Re-Sign Playmaking Safety to Bolster Secondary

The Indianapolis Colts are bringing back a key member of the secondary in Julian Blackmon for the 2024 season.

Indianapolis Colts safety Julian Blackmon (32) reacts after a play against the New England Patriots. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Bleacher Report’s NFL Insider Jordan Schultz broke the news that the Indianapolis Colts are retaining safety Julian Blackmon for the 2024 season.

BREAKING: Free agent safety Julian Blackmon is re-signing with the #Colts on a 1-year deal, per sources.

Blackmon comes off a career season with Indy — amassing 4 INTs, 5 TFLs and 8 PBUs. pic.twitter.com/YKW3ojdPlw

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 2, 2024

Schultz posted the following on X: “BREAKING: Free agent safety Julian Blackmon is re-signing with the #Colts on a 1-year deal, per sources.

Blackmon comes off a career season with Indy — amassing 4 INTs, 5 TFLs and 8 PBUs.”

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This is a smart move by the Colts and general manager Chris Ballard to keep a defender like Blackmon. In 2023, the former Utah Ute played his best season of football. Blackmon played 15 games and posted 88 tackles (five for loss), four interceptions (team-lead), eight passes defended, and two fumble recoveries. Something else to note is that all the aforementioned 2023 numbers are career highs for Blackmon, which he accomplished while still missing two games.

If Blackmon can get through his past injury issues (missed two games in 2024 due to a shoulder setback), he can continue to be a serious factor in secondary. It could be argued that Blackmon is one of the most well-rounded defenders in Gus Bradley’s entire scheme when hitting on all cylinders like he did for most of 2023.

Now with Blackmon slated to be on the roster in 2024, the Colts still have other areas to address, like more safety help, cornerback talent, and explosiveness at wide receiver. With free agency still active and the NFL draft approaching this month, how will Indy continue to address these positions of need?

It’s a crucial offseason for the Colts’ future. We’ll see how the rest of the journey ultimately plays out in the upcoming months.

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