Indianapolis Colts safety Ronnie Harrison Jr. works against the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 24, 2023, in Atlanta.

WESTFIELD — Ronnie Harrison Jr. had one of the more memorable moments during the Indianapolis Colts’ first practice in full pads Tuesday.

Surging through the offensive line on a blitz from his free safety position, Harrison leapt and batted down a pass attempt from second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson.

It was the kind of positive play that seems to happen often when the 27-year-old defender is on the field. And that correlation is part of the reason Harrison has become a surprising entrant in the free safety race.

“Well, for us, when Ronnie gets in there, it seems like something good happens whether he’s playing linebacker (or) he’s playing strong safety,” defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said last week. “So we thought, you know what, we’ve got this competition going on back there. I mean, something good does happen. Let’s take a look at it. Does he have the skillset needed to play that (free safety role), and give him an opportunity to compete with the rest of them.”

Harrison’s presence in the competition was unexpected, to say the least.

Nick Cross took the majority of the first-team reps during the spring and was believed to be the favorite for the starting role when training camp began. His primary competition was expected to come from Rodney Thomas II, who made 25 starts at free safety over the past two seasons.

Instead, Harrison has emerged as a dark horse candidate.

He played in seven games for Indianapolis last season, primarily as a dime linebacker, but two of his three starts — including one against the Houston Texans in Week 18 — came at strong safety.

That move was made after an injury to Julian Blackmon, and it was done in large part because the coaching staff believed Harrison could do a better job of communicating with the rest of the defense — a major part of the role — than the inexperienced Cross, who started at free safety.

There was precedent behind that move. Harrison made 45 starts at strong safety over five seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns from 2018-22.

If he starts at free safety in Week 1 against the Texans, it will be the first time that’s happened in his career.

Head coach Shane Steichen echoed Bradley’s sentiments in explaining why that might be possible.

“I mean, he made some good plays for us last year,” Steichen said. “Then going into camp, obviously the competition back there and that position is going to be big, but you can see he’s made some plays.”

The Colts have repeatedly said they can use the safeties interchangeably. There certainly could be moments when Blackmon — who played free safety for his first three NFL seasons before breaking out as a strong safety last year — lines up as the single-high defender.

There’s also a possibility Indianapolis could still look to add to the competition from outside the organization.

Justin Simmons — a 30-year-old two-time Pro Bowler who made 15 starts last year for the Denver Broncos and led the league with six interceptions in 2022 — and Quandre Diggs — a 31-year-old three-time Pro Bowler who started all 17 games last year for the Seattle Seahawks and has experience in a defensive scheme very similar to Bradley’s — are among the free agents who remain available on the market.

For now, the Colts appear content to evaluate the talent already in the locker room and allow the competition to proceed with Harrison, Cross and Thomas.

“It’s been good,” Bradley said of the competition after Wednesday’s practice. “I think that was one of the positions we looked at (in full pads Tuesday) where we started to see some flashes where that execution part is there. So, now, when you see them play with good execution, you can kind of judge their speed then.

“They’re not thinking as much. So we’ve still got some work to do there as far as our evaluation, but it’s going in the right direction.”

RICHARDSON WATCH

It was a bit of a learning day for the second-year quarterback, who struggled with some sailing passes down field early in practice.

Richardson started the day just 1-for-4, but he rebounded to finish 7-for-12 with no touchdowns or interceptions.

Through five practices, Richardson is 29-for-42 with three touchdowns and one pick.

ROSTER MOVE

The Colts signed defensive end Levi Bell on Wednesday and waived offensive guard Lewis Kidd.

Bell signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of Texas State in 2023 and spent time last season on the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad. Bell also played for the UFL’s Michigan Panthers the last two seasons.

INJURY REPORT

Defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo (calf), tight end Will Mallory (hamstring), linebacker Jaylon Carlies (hip), cornerback Ameer Speed (undisclosed) and defensive end Titus Leo (knee) did not participate in Wednesday’s practice.

NEXT PRACTICE

Friday’s “Family Day” practice is scheduled to run from 9 to 10:45 a.m.

Colts City will be open from 8 a.m. to noon.

Admission is free, but tickets must be downloaded at Colts.com/camp.