The Indianapolis Colts are in serious need of depth in their secondary. While their starting defensive players—JuJu Brents, Kenny Moore II, Julian Blackmon, and Nick Cross—are solid, the team lacks depth at every position. This issue has been exacerbated by the news that one of Indy’s 2023 rookies has suffered his second major injury in his young career.
According to Ari Meirov, Colts safety Daniel Scott ruptured his Achilles during a practice last week and will miss the entire 2024 NFL season.
This is a devastating setback for Scott. The fifth-round rookie in 2023 had already torn his ACL during OTAs and now faces another major injury before the 2024 season begins. Recovering from back-to-back major injuries early in his career will be a significant challenge for Scott.
Scott, who played college football at Cal, was expected to contribute to the team’s depth on defense and play a key role on special teams. Now, he must wait until his third year as a pro to take his first NFL snap.
The Colts will have to rely on existing safeties Rodney Thomas II, Trevor Denbow, and Marcel Dabo to step up in Scott’s absence. Additionally, Indianapolis might consider signing a veteran safety or cornerback before training camp to bolster their depth. Notable free agent safeties include Justin Simmons, Quandre Diggs, and Eddie Jackson.
In another area of concern for the Colts, quarterback Anthony Richardson won’t change his playing style despite re-injury worries. Richardson, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in 2023, acknowledges the risk of injuries due to his mobile playing style but insists it won’t alter his approach.
“I don’t think there’s any way I could have avoided what happened to me,” Richardson told NFL.com’s Jeremy Bergman. “Just a regular, routine tackle. I tried to brace myself for the fall and just my shoulder did what it did. There’s nothing I could do about that… People see me, I’m a big quarterback, so they always think, ‘Oh, he wants to run the ball all the time, he wants to be physical and that’s what’s gonna get him hurt.’ But that’s not the case.”
While Richardson is firm about not changing his play style, he acknowledges the need to play smarter in 2024 to avoid injuries and stay on the field. “I don’t think I’m gonna change it, but being smart, knowing when to get extra yards and knowing when to get down, I feel like I know how to do that,” Richardson said. “It’s just I have to do it and do it at the right time. Being smarter for the team, of course.”
