WESTFIELD, Ind. – We know Kenny Moore II will start at cornerback and Julian Blackmon will start at safety for the 2024 Colts.

Beyond that, the Colts have several players competing to start at cornerback (JuJu Brents, Dallis Flowers and Jaylon Jones) and safety (Nick Cross, Ronnie Harrison Jr. and Rodney Thomas II). And those competitions are very much ongoing.

On Monday, defensive coordinator Gus Bradley provided a check-in on those battles about a week and a half in to training camp practices.

Cornerback: "I think JJ (Jaylon Jones) has had a pretty good training camp," Bradley said. :"And JuJu the last four days has really done well for us. Dallo (Dallis Flowers) I think that with that injury, we saw him coming back, he was still about, maybe, like five or 10 percent away from being him in OTAs, but we feel that gap closing now to where he's getting closer to the Dallis we know."

On Monday, Jones had a physical pass break-up on a goal line play in 11-on-11. We've seen flashes – either pass break-ups or tight coverage forcing incompletions – from Brents and Flowers as well. The Colts believe in the talent each of these cornerbacks possesses, and all three did good things in 2023.

Maybe the best way to think about this competition, then, is how Moore put it on Monday.

"Even if you do win the starting job, it doesn't guarantee you to be starting in the Super Bowl," Moore said. "So over the course of the season we just all have to stay with high morale and stay together."

Safety: Bradley was asked Monday if he had a target date in mind for deciding who would start next to Blackmon.

"I think as soon as someone consistently steps up," Bradley said. "I will say this, the last about seven, eight days we've seen that position elevate. That's what we were kind of hoping – create a lot of competition there, and then just see the cream come to the top. So I think once we feel good about, all right, this is the direction we're going to go, then we'll go. But I don't think we're any time close right now."

The Colts have experimented with Cross, Harrison and Thomas on the field with Blackmon – and at different positions. Blackmon has flipped between strong safety (where he played in 2023) and free safety (where he played under Bradley in 2022), with the veteran's versatility allowing the Colts flexibility to figure out what their best safety pairing could be.

"It's about that personnel placement," Bradley said. "Just look at different combinations. Julian at free, Nick at strong. Julian at free, and Ronnie at strong, and then moving those guys around. So it's just really looking at the different combinations and how they play together."

On Monday, Cross and Thomas both recorded interceptions in an end-of-game full-team red zone period. But the key is the trust the Colts have in Blackmon, who's made several plays from both the strong and free safety positions throughout camp.

"We feel confident where Julian's at," Bradley said. "And because he's been in the system now a couple years, that flexibility to move him from strong to free and not lose a beat at strong – I think it gives us some different looks at different guys."

News & Notes

• Quarterback Anthony Richardson peppered tight end Kylen Granson throughout practice, including an intermediate strike over the middle in seven-on-seven and then a near-touchdown in an end-of-game period at the end of practice.
• Granson's touchdown or non-touchdown might be disputed among coaches, just like Richardson scrambling in a score to end practice. "To my eyes, as the offensive coordinator, that quarterback sure got across that line I thought," offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. "But that's part of the fun of training camp. If you go to the defensive meeting, they won't say that. You go to the offensive meeting, we might. But it's part of the game. We've got to prepare for the season. We're going to move around a little bit at quarterback."
• Linebacker EJ Speed had an impressive pass-breakup in the end zone on a floating ball to wide receiver Josh Downs during 11-on-11.
• Cornerback Kenny Moore II swatted away a pass in the end zone during 11-on-11.
• Quarterback Sam Ehlinger connected with wide receiver D.J. Montgomery deep down the sideline during seven-on-seven.
• Cornerback Jaylin Simpson broke up a pass later during 11-on-11.
• Quarterback Joe Flacco had a couple of notable throws, including a short touchdown to Granson in a goal-to-go period and a strike over the middle to wide receiver Ashton Dulin in 11-on-11.