INDIANAPOLIS – Is it Clayton Geathers' time in Indianapolis?
That looks to be the case after what happened at the start of free agency on Wednesday.
Veteran Dwight Lowery, an unrestricted free agent who started 16 games for the Colts last season, signed with the Chargers early in the free agency period.
With Lowery exiting Indianapolis after one season (a very sound campaign for the 30-year-old safety), Geathers is the expected fill-in next to Mike Adams.
It was a small sample size in 2015 for Geathers, but the Colts liked what they saw.
From the outset of the 2015 offseason program, the Colts felt comfortable throwing the playbook at their fourth-round pick.
Geathers was used primarily in a dime package role for the Colts as a rookie.
He did start two games when Adams was sidelined in November.
In those two starts (Atlanta and Tampa Bay), Geathers combined for 15 tackles and made an impression on his head coach.
"He played with a lot of energy, a lot of physicality and a lot of passion," Chuck Pagano said of Geathers after the win over the Falcons in November.
"You could just see it – whether he made a play or somebody else made a play, he brought a lot to our defense (Sunday)."
Seeing this scenario (Lowery moving on and Geathers starting) play out at safety made a lot of sense for the Colts.
Lowery gave the Colts exactly what they were looking for in 2015---settling the revolving door at the safety position next to Adams.
However, with the Colts looking to get younger on defense, Geathers' flashes in 2015 has him set up to become a full-time starter in his second NFL season.
Lowery is the Colts' first unrestricted agent from 2016 to move on to another team.
