The Indianapolis Colts worked out a veteran safety attempting to return to football.
The Indianapolis Colts have put a premium on their safety room this offseason, and despite it now being among the deepest position groups on the roster, they are apparently not done turning over every stone.
Recently, the Colts worked out veteran safety Jordan Whitehead, according to NFL insider Mike Garafolo.
"Veteran S Jordan Whitehead has been fully cleared to resume his football career post-neck surgery by Alex Vaccaro, his surgeon and the Eagles’ spine specialist," Garafolo posted on X. "Whitehead had recent workouts with the Colts and Texans and is expected to meet with more teams soon."
Whitehead last played in Week 17 of the 2024 season before being involved in a car accident in January 2025. He sustained a neck injury that required surgery. Per Garafolo, the Colts joined the AFC South division rival Houston Texans as teams that have worked out the veteran safety, with more to come.
Whitehead (5'10", 198, 29 years old) was originally a fourth-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2018 NFL Draft, chosen 117th overall out of Pittsburgh. He was a member of the Buccaneers' Super Bowl LV-winning team before signing a free-agent deal with the New York Jets, where he played from 2022-23 prior to rejoining Tampa Bay in 2024.
Whitehead has been a versatile player throughout his career, playing 2,626 snaps at free safety, 2,470 in the box, 962 in the slot, and 169 out wide. He does have experience on special teams — 338 career snaps — but most of those came from 2018-20.
In 105 career games (101 starts), Whitehead has 557 tackles (31 for loss), 2.5 sacks, seven quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, two fumbles recovered, 11 interceptions, and 45 pass breakups.
The Colts have an unquestioned starting free safety in Cam Bynum, and have a competition brewing at strong safety between rookie third-round pick A.J. Haulcy and second-year player Hunter Wohler.
Outside of them, the Colts also have Jonathan Owens, Juanyeh Thomas, Daniel Scott, Trey Washington, Austin Brown, and Ben Nikkel.
This isn't the first sign of interest this offseason the Colts have shown in a veteran safety who has been away from the game.
In April, the Colts signed Nasir Adderley, who retired after the 2022 season, but they released him less than a month later.
If the Colts were to sign Whitehead, he would likely be lumped into the backup tier alongside veterans Owens and Thomas, battling for a spot on the roster.
The Colts report to Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Ind. for training camp on Tues., July 28. Their first practice is the following day.
