The Indianapolis Colts are arguably the hottest team in the entire NFL through two weeks. The offense (which hasn't punted a single time through two games) has been the headlining story, but one of the most pivotal players on the team has been a part of the defensive unit.
Safety Nick Cross has been nothing short of magnificent for the team in 2025. He didn't stuff the stat sheet against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 (honestly, he didn't have all that many chances to make plays with how much of the game clock was eaten up by the Colts offense). Still, he showed he was a leader of the defense in that game, bringing an exciting new energy to the team.
In Week 2, however, in the team's outing against the Broncos, Cross was sensational. He posted a PFF grade of 87.5 for the game (for reference, anything near 90 is an elite score). He also outscored every other Colts defender (per Pro Football Focus) by a factor of nine full points.
PFF (subscription required) is by no means a perfect grading system, but a performance that scored so high is certainly hard to do without truly earning it.
Nick Cross could play his way into being a top 10 safety by the end of the year.
He's certainly playing like it now (at the very least, far better than his paltry 76 overall Madden rating). Without Cross on the field against the Broncos, it could most definitely be argued that Indy doesn't take home the win. The fourth-year safety is not only a staple but a leader of this defense, and especially with how weak the Colts' cornerback situation is this year, they need all the playmakers they can get in the secondary.
Cam Bynum has gotten all the acclaim (very understandably) for having an interception in each of the first two games of the season. However, it could easily be argued that Cross has been the most important member of the secondary.
After seeing how much a higher-end safety in Jevon Holland went for just last offseason, fetching a price of three years for $45,000,000 even after a down year of performance, the Colts would be wise to extend Cross while the price could still be cheap.
Make no mistake, this could be the lowest stock that Cross is valued at this season. If he plays like he has thus far into the season throughout the rest of the games, he will be seen as an elite safety by the time the year is over. And, rightfully, he'll be expecting to be paid like one.
Chris Ballard would be smart to keep quality homegrown talent in Indianapolis for as cheap a price as he can, and Nick Cross should be extended much sooner than later. If not, he could just price himself out of staying a Colt.