Film: Camryn Bynum is Exactly What the Colts Needed

Safety Camryn Bynum is the perfect fit for the Indianapolis Colts in so many ways.

Nov 10, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Camryn Bynum (24) celebrates the win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images / Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts have made some moves early in the offseason, first, signing former Minnesota Vikings safety Camryn Bynum to a four-year deal that is worth up to $60 million dollars.

Bynum is a versatile veteran safety who actually played outside cornerback in college. He made the transition to safety with the Vikings and eventually took over the starting job alongside Harrison Smith. Over the past three seasons, Bynum has seven interceptions and 25 pass breakups.

Bynum will likely be used as a versatile chess piece for Lou Anarumo next season. A bulk of his snaps have come at free safety the past two seasons, but he has logged over 400 slot cornerback snaps since 2023 as well. Anarumo will likely allow this playmaker to do what he does best.. make plays.

Let's dive into the film and see what makes this signing so fun for the Colts.

Versatile Playmaker

Bynum is a confident playmaker who can take away entire areas of the field. He is so much more than a standard free safety, as some of his best clips on film feature him crashing downhill to make plays on the football. His ability to trigger and explode out of his stance with confidence might be his best attribute on film.

This play against the Green Bay Packers is the perfect example. The Vikings are slicing Bynum over the middle of the field to eliminate crossers and digs on this third down pass attempt. He sees the dig crossing his field of vision, triggers downhill in a hurry, and dislodges the man from the ball to get his team off the field on third down. Textbook safety play from a veteran player.

Bynum was a fun weapon for an innovative defensive coach like Brian Flores last season. Flores was comfortable leaving Bynum as a deep centerfielder, but also let him roam the middle of the field to rob quick hitters. Bynum's ball skills and good eyes allowed him to make so many plays on the ball from this position.

The Vikings are selling all out blitz against the Colts on this play below. Bynum, the single-high safety pre-snap, actually rotates down to the middle of the field after the Vikings bail out of the blitz look. Bynum is reading the quarterback's eyes from this spot, and nearly comes away with an interception jumping the dig to Michael Pittman Jr. over the middle.

Peeling away the disguised coverages though, Bynum is a safety at heart. He can still make plays down the field, and most of his interceptions and pass breakups came while he was in deep coverage. His physicality translates well near the line of scrimmage but his eyes and his closing speed are major assets on the backend of the defense as well.

This play against the New York Jets is another textbook example of what he brings on the backend. The Jets are trying to get the seam shot open by stacking a three-receiver set to Bynum's side. Bynum isn't fooled whatsoever by the formation and sticks on top of the seam route, even opening his hips to the route before the ball is thrown.

Bynum breaks on the ball as it arrives and makes an excellent play to prevent the touchdown.

The Bottom Line

The Colts signing Bynum is massive for so many reasons. He is a skilled player who is only 27 years old, and his presence alone massively upgrades the Colts' defensive back unit. He is also a versatile chess piece who approaches every role on defense with physicality and confidence. On top of all that, he has also been plenty durable in his career, appearing in every single game over the past three seasons.

The other major component to this is the type of person that Bynum is. He is a well-respected player and leader in the locker room, and Vikings players seem genuinely devastated to see him go. His added personality and professionalism could go a long way in a Colts' locker room that had several problems last season.

Overall, this is a massive win for the Colts on day one of free agency. Bynum may not be the perfect free safety, but his skill set might be perfect for what the Colts need on this defense.

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