Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard took an interesting approach to this offseason. He paid massively to bring back wide receiver Alec Pierce and quarterback Daniel Jones, but then signed a slew of relatively inexpensive players to help fill out the roster.
One of those was the husband of legendary gymnast Simone Biles. Safety Jonathan Owens has been in the NFL for seven seasons and is now 30 years old, but why exactly Indy signed him is unknown. The only logical answer is that he might be able to help a great deal on special teams.
Owens was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Houston Texans in 2019 and eventually became a starter in his fourth season. In 2023, he joined the Green Bay Packers and started 11 games. That season, however, he allowed a quarterback rating of a poor 118.2.
Former Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens might have a short stay with the Indianapolis Colts
Te overall issue, though? That number wasn't the worst of Owens' career so far. In 2022, his quarterback rating allowed was 128.5 for the Texans, and in 2024 with the Chicago Bears, he had a rating of 130.2. It is telling that so many teams have been quick to move on from the defensive back.
Ballard inked Owens to a one-year deal worth $1.4 million even though Indianapolis would also sign Juanyeh Thomas, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys. Ballard appears to be loading up on players at the same spot to later whittle the depth down.
Thomas and Owens aren't the only safeties on the roster, of course. The Indianapolis Colts also chose A.J. Haulcy from LSU in the third round of the 2026 draft. Hunter Wohler will be returning from a Lisfranc injury he suffered ahead of the regular season last year. Cam Bynum is definitely going to start, and Daniel Scott is also still around from last season.
Jonathan Owens might simply have no spot on the roster, but at least Ballard only guaranteed $187,500 on Owens' salary. If Jonathan Owens doesn't make the team when final roster cuts are made in late August, then not much is lost financially. The question is why Chris Ballard decided to add a couple of safeties while not chasing high-end edge rushers aggressively enough.
The general manager still could. Jadeveon Clowney and Joey Bosa remain free agents. Their joining the Colts appears unlikely, however. Ballard seems content to have brought back Jones and Pierce, and is betting that the team can return to the form it had in the first half of last season. That might be a risk that doesn't pay off.
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