News Colts Team Notes

[Indianapolis Colts]

Report: Saints ‘working to sign’ Colts free agent safety Julian Blackmon

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

The still surprisingly unsigned Colts free agent safety reportedly could find a new home down south soon.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the New Orleans Saints are working to sign Indianapolis Colts free agent safety Julian Blackmon, after future Hall of Famer Tyrann Mathieu announced his retirement just ahead of training camp:

The #Saints are working to sign free agent safety Julian Blackmon as a Honey Badger replacement, per sources.

Nothing done but sides have been in talks. With Tyrann Mathieu retiring, Blackmon is one of the best safeties still available. pic.twitter.com/0ZmPl6l67g

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) July 23, 2025​

Still only 26-years-old, the former 2020 3rd round pick of the Colts has made an impact during his 5-year career when fully healthy.

Blackmon is coming off a 2024 season for the Colts in which he recorded 86 tackles (62 solo), a tackle for loss, half a sack, 3 interceptions, 4 passes defensed, and a fumble recovery during 17 starts for the Indianapolis defense.

Per PFF, Blackmon earned a +69.3 overall grade this past year, including a +73.5 coverage grade.

While he had some free agency interest, including a free agent visit with the Carolina Panthers earlier this offseason, Blackmon still surprisingly remains unsigned.

The Colts seemed to move on when the team quickly inked former Minnesota Vikings safety Camryn Bynum to a lucrative, multi-year deal in the first wave of free agency.

With young strong safety Nick Cross having a bit of a breakout 2024 campaign, and excelling closer to the line of scrimmage, and it seemed as though Blackmon, as a free agent anyways, became the odd man out in the back of the revamped Indy secondary.

Blackmon was effective as both a ballhawk with 10 career interceptions, as well as an run-stopping enforcer, showcasing the ability to dish out big hits at times.

If he ultimately does sign with the Saints, we wish him well in New Orleans, as he’ll have some pretty big shoes to fill down there from a leadership standpoint.

Source: https://www.stampedeblue.com/2025/7...-sign-colts-free-agent-safety-julian-blackmon

 

[Indianapolis Colts]

A new look coming for Stampede Blue in August

Our coverage remains the same but with a new look

In just a couple of weeks, Stampede Blue is switching to a new platform as part of SB Nation’s network-wide move to a new publishing platform. This will change the look of the site and also make it faster and more reliable on any device you use. This is an upgrade.

When you land on the site, it will look cleaner – less clunky, with more white space, a better ad experience with faster load times – but will still have all the usual articles, analysis, and news by all the folks you know.

Community discussion and content created by you will be more prominent in the new design. The best comment threads will be easy to find, and staff and commenters alike will be able to start conversations whenever they like with a brand new tool.

We’re planning on an early August reveal, so we wanted to give you a heads up. You’ll hear more from us when it’s almost here. The site will look a little different, feel a little faster, and, most importantly, have a bigger role for you, the community.

So, stick around and check it out!

Source: https://www.stampedeblue.com/2025/7/24/24472202/a-new-look-coming-for-stampede-blue-in-august

 

[Indianapolis Colts]

Too many drops from receivers are an issue within Colts offense

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Adonai Mitchell (10) drops a pass while New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones (25) defends during the second half at Gillette Stadium — Dec 1, 2024. | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

A QB drop rate is the percentage of on-target passes dropped by the intended receiver. Richardson’s 11.3% drop rate was the highest among all qualified QBs in 2024, per Pro Football Focus. If the signs of an emanating issue with drops weren’t clear, it’s become apparent with a half-dozen dropped passes through the first two days of camp.

Training camp gives committed fans optimism while teams use the summer grind to build morale. If there is one unit that has shown out through the first two practices and brought a confidence boost to the Indianapolis Colts defense, it’s been the defensive backs.

The Colts prioritized rebuilding their secondary this offseason and the early results are encouraging as the DBs have been flying around the practice field to deflect passes and force incompletions. Former All-Pro cornerback Charvarius Ward, who signed with the Colts in free agency, has been fearless in press coverage to blanket Colts receivers. Another key addition turning heads on the practice field is third round draft pick Justin Walley, who took first-team reps opposite Ward on Day 1 of training camp, then started in the slot on Thursday while Kenny Moore II was given a rest day to sit out of practice. Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo emphasizes using leverage to play tight coverage and it did not take long for the rookie out of Minnesota to showcase his versatile skill set.

Colts Camp Takeaways (so far):

— Justin Walley’s been impressive, real shot to start next to Ward
— Defense has been flying around. Making multiple plays in team drills.
— Drops still a problem (Colts football is back)
— Both QBs have looked rusty, no clear edge yet pic.twitter.com/cHLqdFJfuA

— SleeperColts (@SleeperColts) July 24, 2025​

Cornerback JuJu Brents may as well have been Anthony Richardson’s intended target on his first throw of the final team period as he picked off an underthrown deep shot down the right sideline. The crowd scooted to the edge of their bleacher seats in anticipation of Richardson launching his first deep pass of Thursday’s scorching practice, but a collective groan was the most audible noise that echoed through Grand Park once the pass was intercepted with ease. Both Brents and Richardson were given the benefit to start as rookies, but must earn their role back with limited practice reps.

Richardson understands he must show more consistency to win his starting job back and Thursday’s practice featured much better results on intermediate throws. It was clear Richardson took a bit off the heater to work on accurate ball placement, which may be necessary to help solve an emanating issue. Through two practices, Richardson is unofficially 7-for-18 passing, but five of those 11 incompletions were dropped by the intended receiver.

Anthony Richardson delivered a 76% catchable ball rate on throws of 20+ air yards from a clean pocket in 2024.

QB2
(out of 33 qualifiers)

(Source: @FantasyPtsData)

Richardson's pass-catchers dropped a league-high 18% of these targets. Josh Allen and Bryce Young (11%) were… https://t.co/GflzSz8Uhs pic.twitter.com/EY8QtyZCiy

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) May 18, 2025​

A QB drop rate is the percentage of on-target passes dropped by the intended receiver. Richardson’s 11.3% drop rate was the highest among all qualified QBs in 2024, per Pro Football Focus. If the signs of an emanating issue with drops weren’t clear, it’s become apparent with a half-dozen dropped passes through the first two days of camp. Three receivers aiming to move up the depth chart during camp, including Adonai Mitchell, Ashton Dulin and D.J. Montgomery, all dropped catchable passes. Mitchell has yet to find his groove in the Colts offense and has struggled to secure a few easier catches during camp. Cornerback Jaylon Jones made a nice play on an on-target throw from Richardson to swat it out of Mitchell’s grasp and force an incompletion.

Colts’ receivers are simply dropping too many catchable passes, which could be the main reason the offense looks so deficient at times.

Source: https://www.stampedeblue.com/2025/7...ops-from-receivers-issue-within-colts-offense