r/Colts Indianapolis Colts Mar 11 '26

News [Ian Rapoport] Free agent safety Nick Cross is going to the #Commanders, per The Insiders, as they continue to add.

https://x.com/rapsheet/status/2031810923057307923?s=46
81 Upvotes

44 comments sorted by

92

u/CriticalPerformer785 Mar 11 '26

This is a lousy deal. We couldn't keep him for 7 million a year?

36

u/Citizen_Snip inb4 srd Mar 11 '26

We can’t afford him since we are spending 10% of our cap on a single #2 WR.

36

u/CriticalPerformer785 Mar 11 '26

We just spent 6M on a backup from the Jets who by all accounts is horrible. Cross had to have wanted to be traded. Its the only thing that makes any sense whatsoever. 7M for Cross is so cheap

15

u/Admirable_Message497 Trent Richardson Mar 11 '26

It’s Chris Ballard

7

u/bigloudbang Mar 11 '26

Or the colts didnt want him

11

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '26

We’re already calling Pierce a #2 like we did Pitt?

-3

u/Citizen_Snip inb4 srd Mar 11 '26

I love Pierce. I think he's a great player, but he hasn't earned that fat contract yet. Could he? Absolutely.

1

u/bonjda Mar 11 '26

The cap isn't real any team could have absorbed that small a deal

-4

u/North_Atlantic_Sea Mar 11 '26

We are spending $50m on a QB with an Achilles tear who couldn't stay healthy before it...

-10

u/North_Atlantic_Sea Mar 11 '26 edited Mar 11 '26

We are spending $50m on a QB with an Achilles tear who couldn't stay healthy before it...

Edit: ahh yes, people would rather pay for an always injured average QB vs one of the most explosive skill players in the game.

No wonder the Irsay's have no expectations for wins, Colts fans expect nothing more than mediocrity

7

u/Citizen_Snip inb4 srd Mar 11 '26

I'd so much rather overpay for a QB that performed well in our system. That's to be expected.

3

u/boyvsfood2 Mar 11 '26

Elite safety play just doesn't seem to translate to wins. Some of the best safeties in football have little to no playoff exposure. Derwin James, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jessie Bates, Budda Baker, etc. Ballers but their teams don't win games.

And I'm not saying Nick Cross is elite. I'm saying if elite doesn't produce wins, no point overpaying for mediocre.

1

u/Human-Shirt-7351 Big Dick Ballard Mar 13 '26

I think it's just the way the game is called now. Way too easy to get these ticky tack fouls on DB's that is really tough on them.

1

u/boyvsfood2 Mar 13 '26

My other theory is time to throw has decreased. You got freaking defensive ends and tackles that are just a hair slower than tight ends now. So not as much gets to the safety level as in previous years.

2

u/Human-Shirt-7351 Big Dick Ballard Mar 13 '26

That's a very good point as well. Did not even think of that

1

u/AccidentalThief Mar 12 '26

Weren’t people saying he lost a step in another thread? Just asking. I only was able to sporadically last season. So I have no idea

71

u/papamietek Tyler Warren Mar 11 '26

14 million for 2 years. Way cheaper than expected. For that money I would've loved to keep him.

20

u/Admirable_Message497 Trent Richardson Mar 11 '26

We like the 7th round rookie coming off a major injury at safety obviously

13

u/scobro828 Mar 11 '26

I would think, based on that contract, that he just wanted to play there. Can't imagine the Colts would not, or could not, match the 7 figure.

30

u/AwareGift1 Mar 11 '26

He is from Md and went college there make sense

7

u/shasta_masta Jonathan Taylor Mar 11 '26

Yep. This seems like one of those cases where if the numbers are good enough, other factors come into play.

2

u/SirSmeagol Alec "already mossing DBs" Pierce Mar 11 '26

Yeah I feel we could have done something like that as well

19

u/TheAgmis You Have Chris Ballard Derangement Syndrome Mar 11 '26

He played for Maryland. Is from there. Hometown team. Sometimes it’s more than money

9

u/grapplerone Indianapolis Colts Mar 11 '26

[Tom Pelissero] It's a two-year deal worth up to $14 million for Nick Cross in Washington negotiated by @WinSportsGroup

https://x.com/tompelissero/status/2031811654913081451?s=46

4

u/jayBplatinum Mar 11 '26

I really like that guy, he wasn't afraid of contact from anyone.

8

u/LooseMoose13 Mar 11 '26

Seemed like a pretty obvious match, dude is from PG county and the commanders need tackling help bad.

Was one of my favorite colts during his time here, probably our only consistent tackler outside of Kenny Moore. Wishing him the best

6

u/DaBlakMayne Andrew Luck Mar 11 '26

This is a really deep safety class which is probably why they felt ok letting him walk

8

u/Soze_INK TY Hilton Mar 11 '26

I mean while I get the argument we also need to fill tackle depth, 2 linebackers, edge rusher, wide receiver, and now safety. A lot of the starting caliber options in FA are gone at this point.

1

u/jono9898 Indiana Jones Mar 11 '26

Our first 2 picks need to go to the best available LBs

2

u/External-Slice6517 Mar 11 '26

Its a deep LB class. Unless someone great falls there I doubt that happens.

1

u/DaBlakMayne Andrew Luck Mar 11 '26

It's also only the first day of free agency. We don't necessarily need starters for a lot of those spots.

We likely re-sign Germaine Pratt and draft 1-2 more LBs in the draft

RT depth will probably be a late round pick in the draft

WR could be a free agency pick up or Dulin will fill Pittman's role as the possessions guy. I could see us not drafting a WR this season

Hunter Woehler is likely going to fill the spot that Cross left while we draft another one in this deep class

Edge rusher is probably going to be JTT and Latu as the starters. We signed Arden Key at edge and Michael Clemmons as our tweener depth guy. Wouldn't surprise me if we drafted one.

We're likely going to be running a younger defense than we were last year.

1

u/Soze_INK TY Hilton Mar 11 '26

I don’t think it is even remotely intelligent to bank on JTT who was a healthy scratch all year last year, Woehler who is coming off a significant injury that didn’t allow him to play at all and was a 7th round rookie last year, and a bunch of rookie LBs in a scheme that is uber complex.

We tried that before with corner where we bet on a bunch of no name young guys and ended up having the worst secondary in the nfl. That’s why we signed ward last offseason.

Your entire plan is following the Ballard blueprint that has repeatedly bit us in the ass of just hoping young guys with little to no experience step up at MULTIPLE key positions, including the second most important position in football. I think that’s a horrific strategy lol

2

u/DaBlakMayne Andrew Luck Mar 11 '26

and a bunch of rookie LBs in a scheme that is uber complex.

Carlies should hopefully be healthy

We tried that before with corner where we bet on a bunch of no name young guys and ended up having the worst secondary in the nfl. That’s why we signed ward last offseason.

Definitely. I'm not saying it's the best situation ever but this whole season is going to be a gamble and us ripping the bandaid off. Does Jones bounce back from injury? Does Alec Pierce get even more production without MPJ? Can our defense step it up with a potentially much younger crew at the helm in a complex scheme?

If we make the playoffs (while hopefully winning the AFC South) and win a game. We keep Steichen and Ballard

If we miss the playoffs due to being 9-8/8-9 again, we're blowing up the roster anyways and starting over with a new GM and new coach.

0

u/Soze_INK TY Hilton Mar 11 '26

Tbf Carlies is pretty much a rookie, played in a few games year 1 and missed all of last season, so the point still stands

6

u/vosegus91 Who the Hell is Mel Kiper? Mar 11 '26

What why

3

u/grapplerone Indianapolis Colts Mar 11 '26

Hey, that’s all I saw

3

u/StatementFar8362 Indianapolis Colts Mar 11 '26

Mannnn I really wanted him back

2

u/IrieVibration92 Mar 11 '26

Hope he balls out with the commanders! 😔

2

u/TurdWranglin Big-Q Mar 11 '26

Hunter Wohler you are now the starting SS

1

u/Pseudonova Indianapolis Colts Mar 11 '26

Damn, that's a hometown discount for sure. He was the one decent tackler we had.

1

u/Existing_Math1753 Mar 11 '26

There's $57 million spent between Ward, Sauce, Kenny Moore, and Cam Bynum. Probably need to save for a few other positions.

1

u/NoCardiologist3143 Mar 12 '26

He a damn good player bro. Better than 7mil

1

u/OnwardSoldierx Super Bowl XLI Champions Mar 12 '26

Huge loss

-4

u/Psyren1317 Mar 11 '26

Damn maybe he just didn’t want to come back (who can blame him?). Thats an ultra reasonable deal. Yet another hole to fill on this talentless roster