Tag: Tavon Wilson

4 free-agent safeties the Colts could sign

Here are four free-agent safeties the Colts could sign after Khari Willis’ retirement.

The Indianapolis Colts lost a key member of their secondary this week when Khari Willis announced his surprise retirement from the NFL after just three seasons.

The Colts already have a long-term plan in place to take over the strong safety role. Looking back on it, the trade-up for Nick Cross in the 2022 NFL draft appears better and better every day. But it still wouldn’t be a surprise if the Colts looked to add some veteran depth in free agency.

They did so earlier this offseason by bringing in Rodney McLeod and Armani Watts. The latter, however, is likely to play mostly on special teams in the “George Odum role.” McLeod could certainly see time at strong safety until the Colts feel Cross is ready to take over the starting role.

But if the front office felt the need to add another enforcer in the safety room, there are some options to consider in free agency. None of them are all that exciting—they are still free agents for a reason. But depth is necessary in order to avoid situations like bringing Andrew Sendejo off the street in 2021.

So while Cross and McLeod are likely to handle the bulk of the work, here are four free-agent safeties the Colts could sign:

Colts free agent S Tavon Wilson signs with 49ers

Tavon Wilson heads to San Fran.

Indianapolis Colts free agent safety Tavon Wilson signed a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers on Monday.

With Khari Willis and Julian Blackmon firmly entrenched as the starters in the secondary, the Colts had no issues letting Wilson test the market. He provided solid veteran depth for them during the 2020 season, especially after Malik Hooker’s injury.

But Chris Ballard made it clear the Colts were letting all of their free agents test the market. They re-signed running back Marlon Mack and cornerback Xavier Rhodes to one-year deals but most everyone else has either signed or are still available.

The 31-year-old Wilson appeared in 15 games while making two starts. He recorded 26 tackles (23 solo), one pass defended and one tackle for loss. He played 21% of the snaps on defense and 46% of the snaps on special teams in 2020.

The Colts are likely looking to replace Wilson’s role as the rotational safety behind Willis and Blackmon either with a cheap veteran or in the draft.

[lawrence-related id=56956,56957,56953]

Colts free agent S Tavon Wilson signs with 49ers

Tavon Wilson heads to San Fran.

Indianapolis Colts free agent safety Tavon Wilson signed a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers on Monday.

With Khari Willis and Julian Blackmon firmly entrenched as the starters in the secondary, the Colts had no issues letting Wilson test the market. He provided solid veteran depth for them during the 2020 season, especially after Malik Hooker’s injury.

But Chris Ballard made it clear the Colts were letting all of their free agents test the market. They re-signed running back Marlon Mack and cornerback Xavier Rhodes to one-year deals but most everyone else has either signed or are still available.

The 31-year-old Wilson appeared in 15 games while making two starts. He recorded 26 tackles (23 solo), one pass defended and one tackle for loss. He played 21% of the snaps on defense and 46% of the snaps on special teams in 2020.

The Colts are likely looking to replace Wilson’s role as the rotational safety behind Willis and Blackmon either with a cheap veteran or in the draft.

[lawrence-related id=56956,56957,56953]

49ers sign ex-Lions safety Tavon Wilson

Detroit currently has Tracy Walker, Will Harris, Godwin Igwebuike and C.J. Moore on the roster at safety. 

Former Lions safety Tavon Wilson is on the move again. The veteran safety signed with the San Francisco 49ers, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.

Wilson played for the Lions from 2016-2019 and was a primary starter at strong safety in his four years in Detroit. He spent the 2020 season with the Indianapolis Colts, where he signed as a free agent last offseason.

The Lions replaced Wilson in 2020 with Duron Harmon, another ex-New England Patriot player, and the decline in performance — particularly in run defense — from Wilson to Harmon was readily evident.

Detroit currently has Tracy Walker, Will Harris, Godwin Igwebuike and C.J. Moore on the roster at safety.

6 Colts to watch vs. Texans in Week 13

Keep an eye on these Colts on Sunday.

The Indianapolis Colts (7-4) are heading south for a crucial divisional matchup against the Houston Texans (4-7) on Sunday at NRG Stadium.

As Indy enters this matchup as 3.5-point road favorites, the Colts Wire staff sees this being a win for the visitors in our predictions for the game. The Texans should put up a good fight despite their record as they try to spoil the Colts’ chances to make a playoff run.

Here are six Colts to watch in the Week 13 matchup on Sunday:

3 Colts flying under the radar entering 2020

These Colts are flying under the radar entering the 2020 campaign.

Every year there are a few players from each team who don’t get a lot of attention or are overlooked by a rookie trying to take their spot on the roster.

There is a lot of hype around the Indianapolis Colts this year, and a lot of experts are talking about how they could get back to the playoffs this season.

Let’s take a look at some of the under-the-radar Colts who could be key contributors this season for Indianapolis even if they may not be getting all of the credit they deserve:

TE Trey Burton

Now that training camp has come and gone, Burton has received praise from local media, one even saying they can see Burton having 90 catches this season—a hyperbole, of course. While that might be a little far fetched, I wouldn’t be surprised if Burton had a really productive season for Indianapolis.

This is all dependent on Burton’s calf injury, still no word on that, but not a lot of people are talking about Burton having a big role in the pass offense.

With Burton’s connection with Frank Reich while in Philadelphia and Rivers’ desire to throw to tight ends (almost 1,700 targets in 14 seasons), Burton should have a very productive season in 2020 if he’s on the field.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Tavon Wilson quickly taking leadership role with Colts

Anthony Walker sees Wilson as a leader already.

Following the news that a pair of defensive backs would be opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns, the Indianapolis Colts went out in free agency to sign veteran safety Tavon Wilson.

After spending the majority of his career with the Patriots and Lions, the 30-year-old Wilson now joins the Colts as a depth piece in the safety room. While he’s still getting acclimated, it hasn’t taken long for him to take on a leadership role.

Linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. sees similar traits when looking back at another veteran safety who joined the team during the 2018 season.

“He reminds me a lot of Mike Mitchell – a savvy veteran, a guy who understands the game to the smallest detail. Definitely happy to have him in our locker room right now. A lot of the young guys are learning from him, but he’s a playmaker as well,” Walker told reporters Wednesday. “He can go out there and a guy that – he almost had 100 tackles last year, which we told him he won’t be reaching this year (laughing). Just to have a guy like that on our team now is very exciting.”

After safety Rolan Milligan opted out of the season, the Colts had to make a move. Third-round pick Julian Blackmon is still on the Non-Football Injury list as he recovers from a torn ACL in December. He might not make an impact until October at the earliest.

This led the Colts to bring in Wilson, who comes with a solid pedigree of production both on defense and on special teams. Being a depth player, Wilson as an asset on special teams will be huge.

It will be interesting to see what the Colts decide to do with Wilson once Blackmon is ready to return. They haven’t kept five safeties on the active roster since Chris Ballard took over in 2017. With an enlarged practice squad, the Colts have more options but it still warrants a decision.

The Colts need more leadership in the secondary with a young unit. They added Xavier Rhodes, but Wilson could find himself taking on a leadership role more often as the season approaches.

Jersey number updates for newly-signed Colts

What numbers will the new Colts wear?

The Indianapolis Colts brought in three new players to the active roster this week, all of which came on the defensive side of the ball.

Needing secondary help following the opt-outs of cornerback Marvell Tell III and safety Rolan Milligan, the Colts signed veteran safety Tavon Wilson and 24-year-old cornerback Tremon Smith.

The Colts also brought in defensive tackle Taylor Stallworth to compete in the middle of the defensive line.

Here are the jersey numbers the new Colts will be wearing:

  • CB Tremon Smith — No. 35
  • DT Taylor Stallworth — No. 67
  • S Tavon Wilson — No. 31

The Colts likely aren’t finished in making changes to the roster over the next three weeks before cutting it down to 53 players in September.

Colts sign S Tavon Wilson, activate CB Jackson Porter from COVID list

Colts get some help in the secondary.

The Indianapolis Colts signed veteran safety Tavon Wilson and activated cornerback Jackson Porter from the reserve/CVOID list, the team announced Tuesday.

The Colts brought in Wilson last week for a visit with the intent to sign him. After passing his physical and subsequent COVID testing, he can officially join the roster.

The Colts have some depth to fill in the secondary after both safety Rolan Milligan and cornerback Marvell Tell decided to opt out of the 2020 season. Wilson brings a versatile and veteran presence to the defense that should help the young safety room.

Wilson, 30, is a former second-round pick with the New England Patriots. He spent four seasons there from 2012–2015 before joining the Detriot Lions from 2016–2019.

In 110 career games played (43 starts), Wilson has recorded eight interceptions, 19 passes defended, 5.0 sacks and 16 tackles for loss. He also held a big role on special teams during his time with the Patriots.

Porter was placed on the COVID list on July 27 along with wide receiver Malik Henry, who is still on the list.

Tavon Wilson shows his love for Detroit on his way out

Wilson is expected to sign as a free agent with the Indianapolis Colts

Longtime Detroit Lions safety Tavon Wilson is expected to sign a contract with the Indianapolis Colts as a free agent. The four-year starter for the Lions bid his old city a fond adieu on social media.

Wilson made his visit with the Colts over the weekend and reports from Indianapolis indicate he will sign with the team, which was short at safety after COVID-19 opt-outs.

The hybrid safety/linebacker was second on the Lions with 98 total tackles last year, surpassed only by fellow safety Tracy Walker. He came to the Lions in 2016 as one of Bob Quinn’s first free agent signings.

Wilson showed class and appreciation for the Lions organization and the city of Detroit on his Twitter feed on Monday:

The Lions traded for Duron Harmon this offseason to fill the spot left by Wilson’s free agency.

Thanks for the four strong years in Detroit, Tavon!