Tag: Nick Cross

Colts S Nick Cross a tackling machine through two games

Safety Nick Cross has been a tackling machine through two games–a good and bad sign for the Colts defense.

The safety position for the Indianapolis Colts was one of the big question marks coming into the season. However, two games in, the focus has shifted to the team’s run defense instead.

In part, that’s because the play of the front seven against the run has been abysmal. But also a part of the equation is the stability that Cross has provided at the safety position through two games.

In Week 1 against Houston, Cross was the Colts’ starting free safety. Then in Week 2, he took over the strong safety role with Julian Blackmon sidelined.

In two games, Cross has totaled a whopping 26 total tackles, 21 of which were solo. By PFF’s metrics, he’s only missed on tackle as well.

In coverage, where Cross has seen less action given the success in the run game for Houston and Green Bay, he’s allowed five receptions on six targets but for a grand total of only 12 yards–again, putting that tackling ability on display.

Cross’ 21 solo tackles leads all safeties through two games. 17 of those have come in the run game, which is also the most in football, and it’s not particularly close, with the next closest safety having only eight. Cross also ranks top-10 in run stops–or plays that constitute a loss for the offense in the run game.

On the one hand, it’s good to have a reliable tackling presence at the safety position. As the numbers show, Cross has been in on a lot of plays, doing what he can from the safety position to help in the run game.

On the other hand, the fact that he has had to be so active against the run speaks to the major issues that the front seven is having right now, which in part, has forced Cross to play such a major role.

Ideally, many of those tackle opportunities don’t even make it to Cross because the defensive front and linebackers have haven’t allowed the runner to get to the level of the field where the safeties are. However, that hasn’t been the case too often.

Throughout training camp, the Colts often played musical chairs at the safety position as they waited for someone to emerge and grab hold of that starting spot next to Julian Blackmon. Admittedly, it took time for that process to work itself out, but eventually it did, with Cross taking control of that competition with his play in the preseason.

Although it’s only a two game sample size, and the Colts haven’t truly been tested through the air yet, which is where the concerns for this secondary lie, Cross has carried the momentum that he established late into the summer into the regular season.

Nick Cross will start at safety for Colts next to Julian Blackmon

Colts’ defensive coordinator Gus Bradley announced on Tuesday that Nick Cross will be starting at safety alongside of Julian Blackmon.

When speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Colts’ defensive coordinator Gus Bradley announced that Nick Cross will be the starting safety next to Julian Blackmon.

https://twitter.com/RomeovilleKid/status/1831004369619193908

Although this role was up for grabs for much of training camp, this news is far from surprising, given how the preseason unfolded.

Through the first portion of training camp, no player was seemingly taking control of the opening alongside Blackmon and the Colts tried a variety of different combinations along the way. At various points in practice, Cross, Rodney Thomas, Ronnie Harrison, and even Blackmon were all aligned at the free safety role.

However, credit to Cross, because one the preseason games began, he really started to separate himself from the competition.

Cross played 72 defensive snaps across the team’s three preseason games, flying around the field making nine total tackles, with no missed attempts, according to PFF. In coverage, he allowed two receptions on three targets for a grand total of seven yards and had one pass breakup.

With Cross solidified as one of the defensive starters for the time being, the question at safety now turns to whether or not he and Blackmon will rotate between the strong and free safety roles.

Throughout the summer, even with Cross competing at free safety, he saw his share of snaps in the box playing closer to the line of scrimmage. This potential interchangeability between Cross and Blackmon adds some unpredictability to the defense with Bradley able to mix and match based on the opponent, along with opposing offenses not necessarily able to know pre-snap who will be lined up where or what the responsibilities of each safety will be.

For what it’s worth, of the two positions, Cross has performed better this summer while at free safety.

The Colts’ safeties, and the defense as a whole, will be tested right out of the gate this season, beginning the year against Houston and then Green Bay.

Nick Cross taking control of Colts’ starting FS opening

Over the last week, Nick Cross has seemingly taken control of the Colts’ starting free safety opening.

A week and a half ago, Colts’ defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said that the team wasn’t close to making a decision at safety. However, after the first preseason game last Sunday and two days of joint practices, there seems to be some clarity around that decision.

In Sunday’s preseason opener against Denver, we saw Nick Cross tasked with playing both free safety and strong safety. The results were mixed with Cross playing well deep but having issues closer to the line of scrimmage.

“He played free safety and strong safety, and I thought free safety, just like you said, he showed up,” said Bradley on Tuesday. “His angles were better. He had a couple of racer tackles. His leverage was better. His vision of the quarterback. His plant and break back there was better. So that part was cool to see.”

During Wednesday’s first joint practice with Arizona, Nate Atkins of the Indy Star wrote that, again, Cross was tasked with filling both roles, rotating free and strong safety responsibilities with Julian Blackmon.

However, on Thursday, Atkins added in his post-practice breakdown that there was no longer a rotation for Cross, and instead, he worked solely as the free safety with the starters for the entirety of that practice–perhaps a sign that Cross has a firm grasp on that starting spot.

After a 2023 season filled with inconsistent play at the deep safety position, the Colts are banking heavily on the internal development of their young players to help elevate the play on the back-end of the secondary with no outside additions made this offseason.

It took some time for Cross to emerge as their best option to pair with Blackmon, but the Colts tried just about every possible combination that they had on the roster.

At various points throughout training camp, we’ve seen Cross, Rodney Thomas, and Ronnie Harrison all take starting free safety snaps. As alluded to, the Colts have even experimented with moving Blackmon to free safety–despite him coming off a career year at strong safety–with either Cross and Harrison as the strong safety, in an effort to find the best possible combination of players at the position.

Cross’ play the last week has helped him standout and put him in a position to seize control of the starting free safety role. However, ultimately, it will be consistency from down-to-down and game-to-game that will matter and what will provide some needed stability at the deep safety position.

“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 at the start of camp. “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.”

A tale of two performances for Colts’ S Nick Cross vs. Broncos

It was a tale of two performances against the Denver Broncos for Indianapolis Colts’ safety Nick Cross.

With the Colts searching for some sort of clarity at the safety position, Nick Cross, “showed up” in the preseason opener against the Denver Broncos.

Overall, the play from Cross in that game was a bit of a mixed bag–with some good and some not-so-good. However, according to defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, there was a distinct line between where Cross was able to find success and where he took his lumps.

In that game, Cross would spend time at both the free safety and strong safety positions. When playing deep, that is where Cross was able to stand out. But when playing closer to the line of scrimmage is where the negative plays took place.

“He played free safety and strong safety, and I thought free safety, just like you said, he showed up,” said Bradley on Tuesday. “His angles were better. He had a couple of racer tackles. His leverage was better. His vision of the quarterback. His plant and break back there was better. So that part was cool to see.”

Cross was in on four tackles in this game, one of which was made in the open field. For what it’s worth, he graded out well as a run defender and allowed only one reception on two targets, including a near interception that went down as a pass breakup.

Playing closer to the line of scrimmage with the Broncos near the end zone, Cross was credited with giving up a touchdown. As Bradley described, Cross needed to get a bit wider in order to put himself in a better position to make a play on the ball or the pass-catcher before he reached the goal line.

“So now at strong safety, you’re right, there was a couple plays right there that when you’re around the action like that–and I know for Nick, he knows he needs to make that play and knew he should have made the play. So at least there’s part of it.”

During training camp, the Colts have branched out their search at the safety position to not only include the free safety role but they’ve experimented with moving Julian Blackmon from strong safety to free safety in an effort to find the best configuration.

We know Blackmon will be starting–and given how well he played last season, the hope should be he can stay at strong safety–but who is running mate will be or even where Blackmon might line up is what they are working through.

With Cross’ play at free safety on Sunday, he perhaps gained a tighter hold on the starting role, having taken the majority of the starting reps there during training camp. However, Bradley also likes what he’s seen from Rodney Thomas as of late as well.

“Just like Rodney, they kind of in the last 10 days or so have put together some back-to-back-to-back practices to where it gives us–hey, they’re competing. They’re taking on this challenge and they’re getting better.”

With two joint practices and a preseason game upcoming over the next several days, the key for Cross will be building upon Sunday’s performance, so that it is more the norm rather than the outlier.

Bradley has said previously that the other 10 players trusting the free safety will be an important element when it comes to determining who will be the starter–and consistency builds trust.

Colts’ training camp: Where does FS battle stand after 5 practices?

It’s only been five training camp practices, but there remain more questions than answers for the Colts at free safety.

The Colts have five training camp practices under their belt, and the competition at free safety still has way more questions than answers.

During OTAs and minicamp, it was Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas both working with the first team defense. But during training camp, in a bit of a surprise, after the Colts moved Ronnie Harrison from safety to linebacker last season, he was thrown into the mix at free safety.

Making that move even more head-scratching is that in recent years, even when playing the safety position, Harrison has been a strong safety, not a free safety.

“Well, for us, when Ronnie gets in there,” said Gus Bradley on Saturday, “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.”

After a handful of practices, Stephen Holder, who covers the Colts for ESPN, would say after Wednesday’s practice that the “situation at free safety right now is curious, at best.”

James Boyd, who covers the Colts for The Athletic, would say that free safety is his “most concerning thing” up to this point in training camp.

Who is going to win the starting job still remains unclear–although there is certainly still time for that to be worked out.

However, there does seem to be a pecking order that is beginning to take place with Boyd also adding that Cross and Harrison are rotating reps with the starters while Thomas appears to be the third option.

“It’s been good,” said Bradley after Wednesday’s practice about the free safety battle. “I think that was one of the positions we looked at yesterday and started to see some flashes where that execution part is there.

“So now, when you see them play with good execution, you can kind of judge their speed then. They’re not thinking as much. We still got some work to do there as far as our evaluation goes, but it’s going in the right direction.”

Inconsistent play at the safety position was a contributing factor to the number of big plays surrendered in the passing game last season. Looking ahead to the Colts’ first few games of the season, they begin the year facing CJ Stroud and Jordan Love.

When speaking with reporters before camp began, GM Chris Ballard didn’t rule out adding to the position group, but he said that he first wants to see how the competition at safety unfolds first, which could even extend into the season.

“We like our young players,” said Ballard. “I’m not saying we won’t do something. We definitely could. But I want to see these young guys get after it and compete.”

Colts’ DC Gus Bradley explains what he’s looking for at free safety

When speaking with the media after Saturday’s training camp practice, Colts’ DC Gus Bradley explained what he is looking for at free safety.

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.

Colts’ training camp roster preview: S Nick Cross

Next up in our Colts’ training cam roster preview is safety Nick Cross. Here is a look back at his 2023 season and what’s ahead in 2024.

Veterans and rookies for the Indianapolis Colts will report for training camp on July 24th, with the first practice taking place on July 25th.

Between now and then I will be previewing the Colts’ 91-man roster with a look back at each player’s 2023 season, along with what’s ahead for 2024.

I’ll be going through the Colts’ roster alphabetically, so up next is safety Nick Cross. To stay up to date with our other previews, be sure to head over to Colts Wire.

2023 Season Review

Cross, a 2022 third-round pick by the Colts, played 292 snaps last season, with the majority of his playing time coming in those final weeks when he took over for a struggling Rodney Thomas.

Although it was a somewhat small sample size, Cross was a reliable tackler when on the field last season, missing just four of his 35 attempts, and he graded out well as a run defender by PFF’s metrics, ranking 13th among all safeties.

In coverage, Cross allowed three receptions on seven targets and held opponents to just 9.0 yards per catch, with one interception.

Cross was utilized more as a box defender during his rookie season in 2022 but made the move to free safety last season, a role that defensive coordinator Gus Bradley believes will suit his skill set better.

“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. It’ll just play out, and we will see what we come up with.”

2024 Season Preview

The free safety role next to Julian Blackmon is “wide open” this summer, as Bradley put it earlier this offseason. Throughout offseason programs, both Cross and Thomas have been sharing starting reps at that position.

This was a secondary as a whole last season that surrendered too many big plays, ranking in the bottom half of the NFL in explosive pass plays allowed and in the bottom third in yards per pass attempt.

While more playmaking at this position is also needed, at the end of the day, it is going to be day-to-day consistency that determines who will be starting alongside Blackmon this season.

“Like I said, sometimes the inconsistency,” said Bradley on the root of the issues last season. There was three or four games where we look back and say it just wasn’t us, and what was the culprit of it, explosive passes and things like that, whether it was a bust coverage here and there. But I think in those times, we’ve just got to make sure the young guys play at their highest level.”

The continuity of being in Bradley’s system for a third season, along with the experience Cross gained last season, will be valuable elements when it comes to a potential jump in his third NFL season.

“It’s pretty cool to see now,” said Bradley, “anytime that you have consistency, with players, coaches, it gives you a chance. Obviously, decisions have to be made, we all understand that part, but I think as players, if they can be in the system a couple of years into it gives them a chance to play faster.

“And now with the older guys starting to understand the system, you’re starting to see the accountability. Hey, this is how it needs to look rather than just the coaches showing them what it looks like, the players have an understanding of what it looks like.”

If there is one position group the Colts could still add to via free agency, it is safety. Not only to provide a boost in competition for Cross and Thomas, but with Daniel Scott out for the season, depth is a need as well.

PFF projects Colts’ starting lineup on defense for 2024 season

Pro Football Focus put together it’s starting defensive lineup project for the Indianapolis Colts. Here is what stood out.

Pro Football Focus projected the starting lineup for each NFL team for the upcoming 2024 season. Here is who they believe will be starting on the defensive side of the ball come Week 1 for the Indianapolis Colts.

DI: DeForest Buckner
DI: Grover Stewart
Edge: Samson Ebukam
Edge: Kwity Paye
Edge: Laiatu Latu
LB: Zaire Franklin
LB: EJ Speed
CB: JuJu Brents
CB: Dallis Flowers
CB: Kenny Moore
S: Julian Blackmon
S: Nick Cross

Similarly to the offensive side of the football, this lineup, for the most part, is what you’d expect for a Colts team that saw very little roster turnover during the offseason. However, there are two position groups that do stand out.

The first is at cornerback with Dallis Flowers named the starter opposite of JuJu Brents. If this is how things play out, I don’t think anyone would be surprised. Flowers was the starter for four games last season prior to his injury, allowing just 10.5 yards per catch, recording three pass breakups, and holding quarterbacks to a passer rating under 100.0.

“I thought he was really impressive up until that injury,” said defensive coordinator Gus Bradley after the draft. “He did some good things. He’s got that maturity. Very driven. Knows what he wants and is pretty focused on that; you see him in these walkthroughs.”

However, while it is still very early and there is a long way to go before any starting spots are finalized, during OTAs, it has been Jaylon Jones starting at cornerback over Flowers.

Safety is the other position that caught my attention, specifically Nick Cross starting next to Julian Blackmon. Again, as was the case with Flowers, if this is how things play out, I doubt many will be surprised, but this will be one of the more intriguing training camp battles this summer.

Competing with Cross will be Rodney Thomas, who has played almost 1,700 snaps the last two seasons but is coming off a down year, and Daniel Scott, a 2023 draft pick by the Colts whose rookie season never got going due to injury.

The Colts have had Cross taking some snaps at strong safety in the past, but with Blackmon returning for the 2024 season, it is the free safety role that needs to be filled. In the early going, Cross has been a defensive starter over Thomas and Scott, with defensive coordinator Gus Bradley believing the free safety spot suits his skill set well.

“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. It’ll just play out, and we will see what we come up with.”

Lastly, I’ll also mention that with the addition of Laiatu Latu, it is Dayo Odeyingbo who PFF has getting squeezed out as the potential fourth member of the defensive end rotation. Now, having said that, we know that the Colts want to have a hockey-like rotation along the defensive front, so Odeyingbo will still see plenty of playing time.

However, it also goes to show why there is potential uncertainty around his future with the team next offseason as Odeyingbo enters the final year of his contract. If he truly ends up being the fourth member of the rotation, could he earn a larger contract elsewhere in free agency?

NFL.com projects Nick Cross as Colts starting safety next to Julian Blackmon

With the Colts starting safety spot next to Julian Blackmon up for grabs, NFL .com predicts that Nick Cross will win that job.

When it comes to the safety position for the Indianapolis Colts, what we know is that Julian Blackmon will be the starting strong safety. However, who is running mate is remains up for grabs.

Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com recently put together starting roster projections for all 32 teams. On the back end of the Colts’ secondary, he had Nick Cross lining up next to Blackmon.

Cross was a third-round pick by the Colts in 2022. Through two seasons, he’s played 414 defensive snaps, with 292 of them coming last season. It was a small sample size, but Cross did grade out quite well as a run defender by PFF’s metrics in 2023. For his career, he has allowed 8.1 yards per catch with one interception.

The Colts have played Cross as the strong safety, but once again this season, that is a role that will be filled by Blackmon. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley also likes Cross’ upside as a free safety, with that specific position fitting his skill set well.

“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. It’ll just play out, and we will see what we come up with.”

Competing with Cross will be Rodney Thomas and Daniel Scott. Thomas has primarily been a starter for the Colts on the back end during his first two seasons, but after a sound rookie season in 2022, he took a step back last year. Thomas’ missed tackle rate and yards per catch allowed all increased fairly substantially, while his ball production went down.

Scott was a fifth-round pick last offseason, but his rookie season never had the opportunity to get going with him suffering a season-ending injury over the summer.

“I think he’s going to have a (expletive) of a future,” Shane Steichen said of Scott following last week’s OTA practice. “He’s smart, intelligent. That’s part of it playing in the back end, communication. He made a good play on the ball.”

For what it’s worth, during the one OTA practice that was open to the media last week, Cross was starting next to Blackmon, although things within this position group remain wide open, as Bradley described.

Ultimately, it’s going to be day-to-day consistency that determines who is starting next to Blackmon come Week 1. It sounds simple, but this was lacking last season, which resulted in too many big plays and not enough ball production.

5 Colts set for bigger roles in 2024

These five Colts could see bigger roles in 2024.

With the page turning to the 2024 offseason for the Indianapolis Colts, it is time to take a look at which players are set to take on a bigger role.

There are a couple of players that made an impact in 2023 and have put themselves in a position to compete for an opening-day starting job. While there are a few that had some nice flashes this past year and will have a chance to carve out more playing time in the upcoming season.

Here are five players that are set to take on a bigger role in 2024: