Indianapolis Colts: Tracking future of safety position
Going into the offseason, the Indianapolis Colts unsurprisingly have a plethora of major needs on the defensive side of the ball, and the impending free agencies of veterans Greg Toler and Dwight Lowery only magnify those glaring holes in their secondary.
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Last season, the Indianapolis Colts defense finished 25th in the league in scoring defense and were 20th in net yards per pass attempt allowed. It could have been worse, but veteran safeties Mike Adams, who snuck into the Pro Bowl, and Dwight Lowery combined for nine interceptions, even though neither of them defended ten passes on their own.
Ever since Adams emerged as a late-bloomer in the Colts secondary last season, he’s been a fixture at the free safety position. A real ball-hawk who has mastered the tip drill, being in the right place at the right time, and saving his best games for when Tom Brady‘s tossing passes, Adams is one of the leaders of this Colts defense.
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Set to turn 35 in late March, Adams’s future with the team is murky, since he will be in the final year of his contract. There’s no doubt he’ll be able to play out his deal, but we did start to see distinct signs of decline last season. Fast receivers blew by him, and when he wasn’t picking off passes, he was no longer as reliable in coverage as he was in his shockingly good 2014 campaign.
With Adams heading into the final year of his deal and Lowery ready to hit the free agent market, the Colts could have real questions at the safety position. There’s no reason to burn a top pick on a safety, and there’s no need to sign a top safety, especially with a new deal for Andrew Luck looming on the horizon.
Those outside of Indianapolis have probably already forgotten, but the Colts did address the safety position in some manner during the 2014 draft. They didn’t prioritize it, but they did spend a fourth-round pick on UCF safety Clayton Geathers, who has a nice NFL bloodline to him (defensive ends Clifton and Robert Geathers have played in this league and are his cousins).
Since Adams missed three games in 2015, we got to see some rookie flashes of what Geathers can bring to the table for this Colts organization. In fact, he could be ticketed for that hybrid linebacker, Deone Bucannon-type role, because he is a beast who is always around the football. Geathers clocks people, and there’s a reason why diehard Colts fans are excited to see him in action this offseason; he is a name to watch, especially if Lowery isn’t re-signed.
Geathers is a talented, athletic, and explosive safety who can be a mainstay against the run and in the box for the Colts, and this is definitely something they can use going forward. I’m sure the Colts are high on him, but since Indy needs strong coverage at the safety position, it’s fair to wonder how much of that he can provide them as an expected strong safety.
Adams’s future with the Colts beyond 2016 is most likely non-existent, so should Ryan Grigson wait to address the need for a true coverage free safety or wait until Adams’s final season? Should he draft and groom a young player now, or should he wait to make a more decisive upgrade in 2016 when the need becomes pressing?
The Colts seem to already have one half of the safety equation settled in Geathers, though that’s also not a guarantee right now. And even though Adams was selected to the Pro Bowl he’s more “average” than “good” right now. Remember, the Colts allowed the fifth-most yards per reception last season, so there is room for improvement.
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A steep drop-off from Adams could come next season, but I don’t anticipate that being something this team should be worried about. He should be able to give Indy another decent, starting-caliber season at the free safety position, even if his interceptions cause him to get slightly more credit than he should. Though the Colts have more immediate needs on defense and on the offensive line, safety is a position to be aware of, even if thinking about the position just serves as a reminder of Geathers’s future versatility and upside, which impacts Lowery’s free agency most directly.