The Indianapolis Colts spent the spring, training camp, and preseason attempting to identify their safety duo.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, defensive coordinator Gus Bradley stated that third-year safety Nick Cross will start next to Julian Blackmon.
While it’s easy to categorize both players as conventional free and strong safety, it’s likely that they’ll play both positions throughout the season.
Cross was the Colts’ third-round choice in the 2022 NFL Draft. Despite owning three third-round picks at the time, the Colts moved back into the third round late on Day 2 to choose Cross.
Cross entered the NFL as a 20-year-old and is still quite young as he begins his age-23 season.
The Maryland product has had a steep learning curve since entering the NFL. He started the first three games of his rookie season, but battled severely.
Following three games as a starter, he was benched and assigned to special teams for the rest of his rookie season.
He played the same role for the duration of the 2023 season before outperforming fellow third-year safety Rodney Thomas II in the last month.
Cross has now earned the starting safety position opposite Blackmon, and the upcoming season will be critical for his future.
The safety position for the Colts is a massive question mark but if Cross develops into the player they think he can be, the entire secondary will benefit.