[JAFF]

Late news

WESTFIELD — The Colts tried out four veteran safeties Monday and ended up signing two of them, including a 26-year-old veteran with extensive experience.

Indianapolis signed former Jaguars and Browns starter Ronnie Harrison Jr. and added a former second-round pick, Teez Tabor, out of a tryout that also included former Bengal Brandon Wilson and former Packer Vernon Scott, a league source told IndyStar.

The Colts have been dealing with injuries to both of their starting safeties. Veteran strong safety Julian Blackmon has missed all of training camp with a hamstring injury, and second-year free safety Rodney Thomas II has been out for a week due to a toe injury.


Thomas II is expected back soon, a source told IndyStar, and Blackmon was spotted doing on-field agility rehabilitation with cornerback Kenny Moore II, who is dealing with an ankle injury, and the team’s trainers last week.

Nick Cross, the 2022 third-rounder, has been the team’s starting strong safety in Blackmon’s absence.

Harrison has the experience to offer another starting option at strong safety, if necessary. Drafted in the third round out of Alabama in 2017, Harrison started 22 games in two seasons with the Jaguars and another 23 games over the past three seasons in Cleveland, making 223 tackles, 5.5 sacks and five interceptions over his five seasons in the NFL.


But his playing time dwindled last season. Harrison played just 259 snaps defensively, ceding the starting job to young safety Grant Delpit, who played more than 1,000 snaps.

Tabor, on the other hand, hasn’t lived up to his lofty draft position. A second-round pick as a cornerback in 2017 with the Lions, Tabor struggled in two seasons in Detroit, making just 42 tackles over 22 games. The Lions cut Tabor at the end of his third training camp, and after two seasons spent on practice squads in San Francisco and Chicago, Tabor converted to safety.


The move earned him a little more than 100 snaps defensively in Chicago in 2021, then again with Seattle in 2022. Tabor has also become a factor on special teams.

Indianapolis waived a pair of undrafted free agents, safety Aaron Maddox and running back Zavier Scott, to make room for the two new safeties.


The Colts waived Scott — a source told IndyStar the rookie suffered a meniscus tear — with an injury settlement, leaving open the possibility of a return for the rookie this season, either in Indianapolis or another NFL city. If Indianapolis had waived Scott with an injury designation instead of negotiating a settlement, he’d have been placed on injured reserve after clearing waivers, ending his season.