Ballard expects young defensive secondary to evolve

Jan. 17—INDIANAPOLIS — There was much criticism of Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley after his unit finished 28th in scoring defense for the second straight season.

But general manager Chris Ballard knew there would be some bumps in the road, and he took the blame for a few of them.

"We went young in the secondary," Ballard said during his annual state-of-the-franchise address at the beginning of the month. "And, look, there were some rough moments at times in the secondary, and I don't completely put that on them. I put that more on me, but how do you ever develop any continuity, especially with your own guys, if you don't just play them?

"So I decided to go young. We took our lumps, took our lumps at times, but I think it's going to pay off down the line for them."

Some of the brightest spots centered around the cornerbacks, specifically rookie Jaylon Jones. A seventh-round pick out of Texas A&M, Jones made 10 starts and showed enough flashes to earn the trust of his GM.

Quarterbacks completed 56.5% of their passes when targeting Jones for 354 yards and five touchdowns.

"I thought we got really good play out of Jones, especially being a seventh," Ballard said. "I give Anthony (Coughlan), our scout in the southwest, all of the credit for Jones, all of it. He gets all of it. He pressed. He kept bugging me about it, and finally I looked at him and said, 'I'm taking him. If he stinks, it's on you. I'll take the blame for it, but you know it's on you. If he's great, you get all the credit.'

"(Coughlan) gets all the credit because I think the kid is going to be a really good football player for us."

The team also has high hopes for a pair of young corners who saw their seasons cut short by injuries.

Second-round pick JuJu Brents missed the entire spring recovering from wrist surgery and played in just nine regular-season games because of nagging hamstring issues. He made eight starts, however, and was charged with just two touchdowns on his targets.

Second-year corner Dallis Flowers suffered a torn Achilles' tendon in Week 4 and was shut down after a promising start.

The youngsters won't be guaranteed anything next season, but they provide hope for improvement.

"Getting Dallis back will be big," Ballard said. "We'll add fuel. We'll add some competition to it, and they'll always compete. We'll have to compete. There are no given jobs, so they'll have to compete."

There are bound to be some departures as well.

Veteran slot cornerback Kenny Moore II is scheduled for free agency, and so is safety Julian Blackmon. Both are coming off strong 2023 campaigns.

In his second year under Bradley, the 28-year-old Moore finished with 93 tackles, 1.5 sacks and three interceptions — returning two for touchdowns in a 27-13 win against the Carolina Panthers.

The 25-year-old Blackmon set career highs with 88 tackles, four interceptions and two fumble recoveries before missing the final two games because of an injured shoulder. Blackmon also was a valuable communicator in the secondary, providing much-needed leadership after the departures of veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore and safety Rodney McLeod.

"I thought Julian Blackmon played really good football this year," Ballard said. "It sucked when he got hurt. That hurt (the team). It did when we lost him. I thought he played excellent football."

While decisions on those two key players need to be made, Ballard might also look for a change at strong safety — whether that comes in the form of new personnel or increased production from the current roster.

Second-year defenders Rodney Thomas II and Nick Cross split time at the position, with Cross taking over as the starter for the final two weeks.

The 22-year-old Cross tallied 39 tackles and an interception while playing just 25% of the defensive snaps. The 25-year-old Thomas had 34 tackles and two picks while playing 82% of the defensive snaps.

"I do think we've got to get more consistency out of the free safety position," Ballard said. "That's not quite a knock because they're both young players. Thomas had some good moments. Cross had some really good moments, but we need more consistent moments from that position."

The same can be said for the defense as a whole.

Just as he does on the offensive side, Ballard aims to aid explosive playmakers to the scheme in 2024.

But he also believes the seeds planted in 2023 will bear fruit in the near future.

"I would expect us to take another jump here this year on defense," Ballard said.