The battle for the starting free safety role is one of the more important and intriguing positional battles taking place this summer at Colts’ training camp.
When it comes to what defensive coordinator Gus Bradley is looking for from that group, it comes down to one word: Trust.
“I mean, we could talk about you’ve got to be a good eraser, tackler, and all that, but it really comes down to trust,” Bradley said on Saturday. “You know, do the guys in front of you, do they look back, and do they trust that you have the skill set to get it done, and can you get it done? And that breeds confidence.
“They love all the guys back there competing, but really, you’re looking for the respect of the whole unit, and that’s just by making plays.”
Competing for this playing time includes Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas. Last season, it was Thomas who started for much of the season, but after struggling with missed tackles and contributing to the big play issues the Colts faced, surrendering 21.2 yards per catch, it was Cross who took over as the starter during those last few games.
Cross, a 2022 third-round pick by the Colts, initially began his NFL career more so as a strong safety, but Bradley believes his skill set will translate well to the free safety role.
“I think Nick, we tried him at strong, and he can play strong,” said Bradley after the draft, “but I think even looking back at him at college, when he sees things top down, his comfort level and his speed picks up. He’s in a pretty good mindset now.”
Cross and Thomas were taking the starting free safety reps during OTAs and minicamp, with from the sounds of it, Cross having the early advantage. However, through two training camp practices, a new name has been added to the mix in Ronnie Harrison.
Harrison has spent most of his career up to this point as a box safety, and made the transition to linebacker in 2023 while with the Colts. However, at a position where the Colts are in need of more playmaking, Bradley wants to give Harrison a chance to carve out a role.
“Well, for us, when Ronnie gets in there,” said Bradley, “it seems like something good happens, whether he’s playing linebacker, he’s playing strong safety, and so we thought, you know what, we’ve got this competition going on back there.
“I mean, something good does happen, let’s take a look at it. Does he have the skill set needed to play that and give him an opportunity to compete with the rest of them.”
Safety is certainly a position that the Colts could justify adding to in free agency, where Justin Simmons is still available. But as GM Chris Ballard told reporters on Wednesday, he first wants to see how the competition at this position unfolds before deciding whether or not to make an addition.