Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard stayed true to his word of being more aggressive in the open market this offseason, but some NFL analysts believe one of the moves was an overpay.
After the Colts brought in Lou Anarumo to replace Gus Bradley as defensive coordinator, it was expected that there would be a high emphasis on improving the secondary. Anarumo’s schemes have been at their best when the secondary has been leading the effort.
Thus, Ballard made it a point of emphasis to make a splash move at the safety position, which led to signing free agent Cam Bynum to a four-year deal worth $60 million in free agency. Most would agree this type of move was long overdue for the typically-conservative Colts.
However, Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report believes the Bynum signing was one of the worst free-agent signings of the offseason.
“To be fair, Bynum has been a solid run defender the past two years, amassing 233 total tackles over the past two years. He has also averaged two interceptions per season and posted a career-best 10 passes defensed last year in Minnesota,” Davenport wrote. “But Bynum isn’t especially good in coverage—his career passer rating against is almost 100, and the 26-year-old allowed a whopping eight touchdown passes in 2022.
“The Colts are essentially right back where they started—with a pair of safeties best suited to playing near the line of scrimmage and no one well-suited to a role in deep coverage.”
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While Bynum’s best work may come near the line of scrimmage, he has extensive experience manning the deep part of the field. Per Pro Football Focus, Bynum played 742 snaps as a free safety, 139 snaps in the slot and 128 snaps in the box during the 2024 season.
In fact, his concerns about playing in coverage may be a bit overblown. Over his last two seasons, Bynum has allowed a 91.2 passer rating and 7.9 yards per target in coverage during that span, per Pro Football Reference. He also has eight career interceptions and 28 passes defensed.
Bynum’s 91.2 passer rating allowed over the last two seasons ranks 11th among NFL safeties with at least 100 targets during that span, according to Stathead. Meanwhile, his 7.9 yards per target ranks 10th-best among safeties.
This was the first big splash Ballard has made in free agency during his general manager career so it will certainly be viewed under a microscope.
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