Colts: 3 sneaky moves Indy should make in free agency

2. Sign Marcus Maye

It looked early on that Julian Blackmon was going to be in contention for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, but he ultimately tailed off after a scalding hot start. We obviously don’t mean that as a slight to Blackmon. It was probably just a little premature for fans and the media to anoint him as the next great safety after such a limited sample size.

While we still fully believe that Blackmon will one day enter the elite conversation, his inconsistent rookie campaign proves that he needs an experienced veteran lined up next to him. When it comes to free agency, the Colts should absolutely look to Marcus Maye as a security blanket and voice of reason for their 2020 third-round pick.

Marcus Maye was quietly dominant for the Jets this past season. Could the Colts call?

Maye was thrust into a leadership role on the Jets’ inexperienced defense following Jamal Adams’ departure, and he surprisingly exceeded expectations, appearing in all 16 games and playing every single snap (1,137) on defense. He finished with 88 tackles, which ranked first on the team, while also leading them with 11 interceptions.

The former second-rounder also contributed two interceptions, two forced fumbles and two sacks, earning him a picturesque 85.8 grade from Pro Football Focus. Maye might not have the name appeal of some of the other safeties gearing up for free agency, but he undoubtedly performed just as well, if not better, than all of them.

Signing Maye likely won’t sit well with Colts fans right off the bat considering he came from an historically bad Jets defense, but we have no doubts that he’d become a favorite within his fist couple of games. If someone can isolate a potential downside of this move, please come forward, because we’re struggling to find just one.