Colts Safety Inks Deal Back with the Team

Julian Blackmon was drafted in 2020 and selected by the Indianapolis Colts. Over the last four years, Blackmon has steadily improved, and with only being 25 years old, he has the chance to become one of the best players at his position. Last season, the Colts proved to turn things around, but unfortunately missed the playoffs after losing in Week 17 to their division rivals, the Houston Texans. The safety became a free agent, and it was announced that the Colt safety has signed a deal back with the team. 

Julian Blackmon played at the University of Utah from 2016 to 2019. In his first three seasons at Utah, Blackmon played cornerback before switching to play safety in his final season with the team. He was named the MVP of the 2017 Heart of Dallas Bowl. In 2019, as a senior, he was named to the First-Team All-American by Sports Illustrated and The Athletic. Blackmon finished his college career playing 39 out of 48 games, recording 158 tackles, nine interceptions, one and a half sacks, and two touchdowns. He was selected by the Colts in the third round as the 85th overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. 

Last season, Blackmon played 15 games with Indianapolis. The former Colt had 88 combined tackles, 65 of those being solo tackles, and the other were assisted tackles. He had five tackles for a loss of yardage, eight pass deflections, and four interceptions. His best game of the 2023 season was late in October during a matchup with the Cleveland Browns. In a 29-28 loss, Julian had five combined tackles, two tackles for a loss of yardage, two pass deflections, and one interception. A month earlier in a matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, Blackmon recorded his season-high with 12 combined tackles.