An unpopular option has been named as a 2023 breakout candidate for the Colts

As the Indianapolis Colts prepare for the 2023 NFL season, they are lucky to have a host of young talent. With promising young players on each side of the ball, Indy has several guys who are poised for a breakout season. In fact, all offseason, guys like Alec Pierce, Bernhard Raimann, Kwity Paye, and Samson Ebukam have been named as breakout candidates.

Those four are great options, and it makes sense why they’ve been named numerous times throughout the offseason as potential breakout players. However, they’re now getting some company on that list. Jared Dubin, in a recent piece for CBS Sports, named a 2023 breakout player for every team.

For Indianapolis, Dubin went a different direction than usual and named safety Julian Blackmon as the player likely to breakout for Indy.

Julian Blackmon named a breakout candidate for Colts

Dubin explained that the first three years of Julian Blackmon’s career have been rocky and impacted by injury. However, Dubin did make it clear that Blackmon is a force against the run when he’s on the field, and should be better against the pass in his second season with Gus Bradley.

While Blackmon will find some familiarity in year two with Bradley, he’s still taking on a new challenge after switching from free safety to strong safety this offseason. However, the position change may aid Blackmon in having a breakout season. Earlier in the offseason, ESPN’s Stephen Holder reported that Blackmon was an offseason standout at his new position.

As Holder explained, the move to strong safety is putting Blackmon around the ball even more and getting him involved in the action. Now, as training camp starts, Blackmon must continue to get acquainted to the strong safety position. If he can quickly do that, and stay healthy, Blackmon has a chance to breakout and become the star that many people thought he would be after his impressive rookie season.

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