Colts Free Agent Addition Faces Absurd Disrespect

One of the Indianapolis Colts' offseason acquisitions caught some major disrespect.

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Camryn Bynum (24) against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Over the course of this NFL offseason, the Indianapolis Colts made a big-time addition to the back-end of their secondary with the free agent signing of Minnesota Vikings safety Cam Bynum to a four-year, $60 million contract to establish himself as a centerpiece of this defensive unit and in Lou Anarumo's newly established system.

However, in the eyes of some, it seems as if that investment into Bynum could be one that pans out to be rather disappointing.

Pro Football Focus and analyst Zoltan Buday recently revealed their rankings of the league's top 32 safeties ahead of the 2025 season, where the outlook didn't look too great for Bynum.

Not only did Bynum, one of the Colts' biggest signings of this offseason, not find his way into the top ten or 20 of PFF's rankings, he was nowhere to be found– being snubbed entirely from the top 32 safeties in the league.

Instead, we saw the Colts' other contributor at safety, Nick Cross, stack up as the 31st best safety in the NFL after just two seasons in the fold.

"After playing just 414 snaps over the first two seasons of his career, Cross rarely came off the field in 2024," Buday wrote. "His 1,156 snaps were the second most among safeties during the regular season. Cross turned that extended playing time into a solid 70.3 PFF overall grade (28th) and an 80.3 PFF run-defense grade (17th)."

Dec 15, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Indianapolis Colts safety Nick Cross (20) celebrates his interception in the second half against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

What happens next for the Colts? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Colts news delivered to your inbox daily!

On one hand, it's great to see a name like Cross get the recognition he deserves as one of the more quality starting safeties in the NFL, and credited as one of the bright spots of this Indianapolis defense. On another, to see the Colts' top safety in Bynum for the year ahead, nowhere close to being a top safety, may sound a few alarms.

It comes as a result of Bynum's less-than-stellar pass rush grade and coverage grade from his last outing with Minnesota. He ranked 120th out of 171 eligible safeties with a 50.7 pass rush grade, and 97th in that same pool with a 59.6 coverage grade. He was a solid run defender in the eyes of PFF wth a 70.7 grade, but nothing to push him over the edge for the rankings.

Dec 29, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Camryn Bynum (24) celebrates his fumble recovery against Green Bay Packers in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

For 2025, though, it's easy to see how Bynum can defy the narrative. He'll be a key factor in Anarumo's aspired defensive improvement, will likely have similar high snap totals like last season (1,028 snaps, 16th-most at the position), and perhaps have a chance to rise up the rankings by the end of the year.