CLOSE
Source: Brace Hemmelgarn / Getty
**INDIANAPOLIS** **–** Cam Bynum will have the celebrations ready.
But he knows only if he brings an important trait that the Colts have lacked in recent years.
In 2024, the Colts ranked as one of the worst teams in the NFL in passes defensed.
What does that stat say?
The Colts have struggled in disrupting an opponent’s passing game, mainly from the back end, but also in creating consistent and timely pressure.
Speaking more for Bynum, he harped on trying to improve this area for the Colts.
“First and foremost, it’s always about the ball,” the 26-year-old safety said at his opening press conference. “You get graded, you get paid based off of how many times you can touch the ball and take the ball away. And that’s something that I’ve been able to do in my career, and something that I’m confident that I’m going to be able to do.
What the Colts are hoping for from Bynum is a consistent, playmaking presence, still in the prime of his career, offering some stability **[at a position that has lacked it in recent years](https://1075thefan.com/529179/colts-make-big-move-at-safety-for-cam-bynum/)**.
Bynum getting to this point in a professional career was a laughable thought back in high school.
As Bynum puts it, he was “5th string JV” at one point.
The new safety in Indianapolis was downright giddy describing his first private plane experience, the treatment the Colts gave him and his family as he visited his new home.
When Bynum was vetting the Colts from his off-season home in the Philippines (Bynum is half-Filipino), he remembered the words of Stephon Gilmore.
Not a loud speaker, Gilmore’s words carry a lot of weight, so when the two Vikings teammates talked about Gilly’s one season in Indy, a calming atmosphere was felt.
“He said, ‘For your type of personality, you’re a family person, you’re laid back. I think that’s a place for you,’” Bynum shared.
“And that’s the first thing I saw when I got here, just how tightknit everything is, how really personable everybody is.”
Much has been made from Bynum’s celebrations, both coming off his own playmaking, and teammates.
The 10-20 second viral moment though doesn’t happen without ample time going into such playmaking.
“Everybody sees all the celebrations, everything that goes viral in the media, but a lot of people don’t see the work behind it,” Bynum says. “I pride myself on being one of the hardest workers in the room, putting in so much extra work, being a leader, leading by example, not a super rah-rah guy, but somebody that’s always going to be consistent being in the right spots on the field but also off the field, being somebody that’s really locked in in the meeting room and keeping my head down, focused during the week. It doesn’t seem like it because obviously, I’m really out there in the media on Sundays, but during the week, I’m locked in because I want to be able to earn those moments, to be able to have fun on the field on Sunday.
“Especially on defense, it’s hard to make plays, especially in this league. So, when you do make a play, and when you know that you put in so much work during the week, it’s like why wouldn’t you take that time on Sunday when you do something great? You have to celebrate it. So being on a defense, I think that you have to bring that energy to the whole team. I think if the defense is having fun, flying around and you’re making plays, you have to celebrate, and you only celebrate if you’re making plays. So, it’s like a two-way street. A lot of people think you’re just dancing for no reason, but in reality if you make a turnover, you get a turnover, you get a reason to have that fun. So, I just think that it’s something that brings an extra energy and extra light to this team that really is contagious to special teams, contagious to the offense and that leads to wins because we all know the stat – if you take the ball away, you win the turnover margin, you win the game nine times out of 10. So, I think that’s something that is a big deal, and people don’t think about it, but the energy of a team and a whole stadium – momentum is a real thing. So, I think that that creates that in itself.”
The Colts are hoping they see a dancing Bynum quite often in 2025.