Colts Lose Veteran Safety to Browns

Days after adding a whopping 12 players to to the squad via the NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts saw veteran safety Rodney McLeod sign as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns.

The Athletic's Zac Jackson was among the first to report the news.

The Browns have agreed to terms with veteran S Rodney McLeod.
— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) May 4, 2023

The Colts signed McLeod in August of last year, and his only season in Indianapolis was a successful one for the 32-year old defensive back.

McLeod had two interceptions including one returned for a touchdown, and he had a career-high 96 tackles.

Pro Football Focus (PFF) gave McLeod an 80.1 for the 2022 season, which was also a career high for the 11-year pro and ranked him seventh among NFL safeties.

At safety the Colts return a pair of second-year pros in Rodney Thomas and Nick Cross. Thomas and Cross were drafted last year in the seventh and third rounds respectively.

Thomas was a surprise starter last year as a seventh-round pick, logging over 700 snaps on defense. Predictably he had his growing pains and finished with a 54.3 grade from PFF.

Cross saw action in 16 games last year, starting two, and he finished with 17 tackles and a forced fumble.

The Colts also drafted safety Daniel Scott out of Cal. Scott Measured 6'1 and 208 pounds with a 4.48 forty at the NFL Combine. He also had 22 reps of 225 on the bench press and impressive agility scores with a 6.75 L-cone, 4.17 shuttle, and 39.5" vertical leap.

Scott's testing numbers at the combine were elite. He got a 9.94 relative athletic score (RAS) which does an excellent job of comparing a player's testing numbers against their peers.

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein had this to say of Scott:

A team captain with size, tools and six seasons of collegiate experience, Scott will turn 25 during the 2023 season. His age could hurt his chances with some teams, but his athleticism and four-phase special teams background will help him with others. He’s more confident and capable as a field-reading center fielder than he is sifting through bunch formations and matching in man coverage. He was a teammate to four Cal defensive backs who were drafted in recent years, and he could be next up thanks to his football character and special teams talent. -- Lance Zierlein, NFL.com

With the loss of McLeod, the Colts are incredibly young on the back end of their defense. McLeod was signed last August ahead of the NFL pre-season games, and it wouldn't be a total shock to see the Colts shopping for another veteran to replace him this summer.