Colts polarizing defender shines in preseason amid crucial position battle

Cody Manning

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Colts polarizing defender shines in preseason amid crucial position battle image

One of the biggest position battles the Indianapolis Colts have this preseason comes at free safety between a pair of third-year defenders.

Nick Cross, a third-round pick, and Rodney Thomas II, a seventh-round pick entered the league at the same time with the Colts during the 2022 NFL Draft. Neither has fully taken advantage of their opportunities to be a full-time starter.

However, Cross is a player who has been under a microscope all offseason, and he has put together solid back-to-back performances — the latest coming in Saturday's 21-13 preseason win over the Arizona Cardinals.

The Maryland product was one of the two starters (JuJu Brents) who did play tonight with the majority of starters getting the night off.

What's a bit interesting is that he exclusively played as a strong safety, and he looked comfortable in the role. This is after spending the spring and most of training camp at free safety.

He was all over the field in a position to make a play, which showcased his strong tackling ability. His play of the night after a play where he made an open-field tackle short of the sticks.

Cross followed it up by reading a play perfectly for a tackle for loss.

Cross ended his night with five tackles (three solo) and a tackle for loss. He’s up to eight tackles (five solo), a tackle for loss, and a pass defended in the preseason.

Now the question is, will he be the opening day starter at free safety or strong safety? Or will Gus Bradley flip Cross and Julian Blackmon between both positions when the season kicks off? 

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Cody Manning

Cody Manning Photo

Cody Manning is a graduate of the University of Tampa’s Sport Management program. He spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Guest and Member Relations Game Day staff where he was a Team Leader and earned Difference Maker of the Year in 2017. During his time with the Bucs, he helped start Blitzalytics, a scouting and analytics media company. After that came to an end, he joined USA Today’s Colts Wire as a contributor in 2021. Outside of football, he is an avid WWE and Batman fan. You can find him on Twitter/X @CodyTalksNFL.