Colts continue re-signing spree, solidify secondary by bringing back Blackmon

The Indianapolis Colts continued their offseason re-signing spree by bringing back safety Julian Blackmon on a one-year deal. The deal was first reported by Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report.

Blackmon will now get to continue playing in Indianapolis after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Colts. He had four interceptions and 88 total tackles in 2023. Both of those numbers represent career-highs.

Bringing back Blackmon makes a lot of sense for Indianapolis, as they needed help in the secondary, and Blackmon was recently ranked as one of the best safeties still available on the market.

A lot of familiar faces in Indianapolis

In addition to Blackmon, the Colts re-signed several key contributors this offseason, including wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., cornerback Kenny Moore II, defensive tackle Grover Stewart, linebacker Zaire Franklin and running back Trey Sermon.

The team received some criticism for eschewing outside free agents in favor of their own, but Colts general manger Chris Ballard stressed the importance of continuity when discussing the team's offseason strategy.

“I think sometimes (what) gets lost is when you lose a player, it creates a void," Ballard said. "So, you lose a Grover Stewart, you lose a Kenny Moore or you lose a Pittman, now you’ve got a real void.

“I think any time you can keep continuity in your own players is a good thing . . . because you know what you’re getting in the player," he added. "It’s always easy to look outside and think automatically that no doubt this guy’s going to be an upgrade. But there’s usually a reason they hit free agency.’’

In 2024, the Colts will look very similar to how they looked in 2023. But, that's not necessarily a bad thing. After all, Indianapolis finished 9-8 last season and they were in playoff contention until the last week of the regular season, despite the fact that running back Jonathan Taylor was limited to just 10 games and rookie starting quarterback Anthony Richardson played in only four.

The Colts retained a ton of talent this offseason, and if all the key pieces are able to stay out on the field, they could prove be a legitimate postseason contender next season.