Player
Julian Blackmon
DB · Saints
Julian Blackmon: facts drawn from the play-by-play.
5 seasons in Indianapolis: 199 tackles, 21 PDs — the steady third-rounder return.
TrendBlackmon career snapshot
| Season | Team | G | Tackles | PDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IND | 15 | 36 | 6 |
| 2021 | IND | 6 | 27 | 1 |
| 2022 | IND | 14 | 32 | 2 |
| 2023 | IND | 15 | 52 | 8 |
| 2024 | IND | 16 | 52 | 4 |
| 2025 | NO | 1 | 4 | 1 |
Two clean back-to-back seasons in 2023-24 (52 tackles each, 15+ games each) were the peak. The 2025 New Orleans landing has been mostly on the reserve/inactive list — just 1 game on the field through the sample.
The 2021 dip (6 games) was the torn Achilles year. He came back as a hybrid safety the Colts trusted on coverage downs.
Tackles by season
| Season | Tackles |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 36 |
| 2021 | 27 |
| 2022 | 32 |
| 2023 | 52 |
| 2024 | 52 |
| 2025 | 4 |
Career split: 203 tackles, 22 PDs, 4 fumble recoveries, 3 forced/PDs in coverage.
SplitBlackmon career role distribution
| Role | Career |
|---|---|
| Tackles | 203 |
| Tackle Assists | 78 |
| Pass Defenses | 22 |
| TFLs | 13 |
| Fumble Recoveries | 4 |
| QB Hits | 3 |
| Forced Fumbles | 2 |
The 4 fumble recoveries are the outlier — safeties usually have 1-2 over a career. Blackmon's profile is ball-aware in the pile, more than he is at the catch point.
22 PDs across 6 seasons is solidly average for a deep safety — the role he settled into after 2022.
2024: 52 tackles + 4 PDs across all 16 games — the cleanest, fullest season of his career.
MilestoneBlackmon's only 16-game season: 52 tackles, 1 sack-split, 4 PDs, 1 QB hit. After the Achilles tear in 2021, getting through a full slate was the milestone.
The Colts let him walk in free agency anyway — New Orleans signed him for the 2025 season, but a reserve-list designation has kept him largely inactive so far.
2025: just 1 game played — the only Indy alum in this draft class without a full year on a roster.
AnomalyAfter leaving Indianapolis as the club's 2020 third-round safety, Blackmon's first season elsewhere has been a holding pattern. The current roster row at New Orleans shows him on a reserve designation; the single 2025 game that appears in the play-participants log is everything he's been credited with.
The 2024 line (52/4) is the rebound case the team is counting on if he gets healthy and active for a stretch run.
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