Respectfully, this one doesn’t make as much sense anymore…
According to ESPN’s Aaron Schatz, the Indianapolis Colts are a proposed landing spot as their final offseason move should be adding former All-Pro free agent veteran safety Justin Simmons headed into team training camp:
Indianapolis Colts
Sign safety Justin Simmons
The Colts added Camryn Bynum from Minnesota as their new free safety, and they still have Nick Cross, who had 146 tackles last season. But Indianapolis could use some depth at the position since Daniel Scott has never seen the field in the regular season through two seasons and Hunter Wohler is a seventh-round rookie. Enter Simmons, who started for Atlanta last season and was second-team All-Pro in 2023. Simmons would also give Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo the ability to play three-safety packages.
It’s not that Simmons couldn’t help a playoff hopeful team like the Colts—or even as a veteran mentor for a young defensive back room, but this feels like it’s a year too late for Indianapolis, who’s already seemingly shored up their secondary earlier this offseason.
The Colts already signed ex-Minnesota Vikings safety Camryn Bynum to a lucrative, multi-year free agent deal, while holdover Nick Cross, who’s still only 23 years old, is more comfortable closer to the line of scrimmage and had a bit of a breakout third-season.
That duo appears to safely be their starting pairing at safety.
Starting 16 games for the Falcons last season, Simmons recorded 62 tackles (36 solo), 2 tackles for loss, 7 passes defensed, and 2 interceptions. He earned a +59.9 overall grade from PFF this past season, which was just 113 of 171 qualifying safeties.
Previously with the Broncos, the 31-year-old veteran safety was a 4x NFL 2nd-Team All-Pro and 2x NFL Pro Bowler—meaning his best days could already be well behind him.
The Colts could use some proven depth at safety, as Rodney Thomas II has struggled since his rookie campaign in 2022, and fellow backup Daniel Scott has never appeared in an NFL game since being drafted in 2023—having suffered two consecutive season-ending injuries. The team did select Wisconsin safety Hunter Wohler in this year’s 7th round as a backup.
Given his age and veteran status, I’m just not sure that’s Simmons, especially given that the Colts backup safeties will be called upon to heavily participate on special teams—which doesn’t seem like a fit for the former Pro Bowler given he’s in the tail-end of his NFL career.