Former Vikings Starter Makes Huge Splash in Week 1
If you, the Minnesota Vikings fan, wish the team had retained safety Camryn Bynum back in the offseason, well, you know ball.
A former Vikings starter erupted in Week 1, delivering a standout performance that had fans talking. Here’s how he stepped up in the opener.
Bynum played his first-ever game outside of the Vikings’ roster last weekend, utterly balling out with his new team, the Indianapolis Colts.
“The one that got away” had a day.
New Colts Safety Camryn Bynum Does the Thing
Bynum’s maiden voyage in the AFC South turned heads.
Camryn Bynum Breaks onto the Scene for Colts
Bynum’s team crushed the lifeless Miami Dolphins on Sunday, 33-8, and Bynum had fun along the way.
He tabulated 3 total tackles, 2 passes defended, and an interception en route to a spectacular 87.2 grade from Pro Football Focus. By the numbers, Bynum’s performance was the third-best in a single game of his career, according to PFF, only bested by a 2023 showing against the San Francisco 49ers as a Viking and his 2021 breakout game at the Baltimore Ravens.
He also fired up this strange-but-sweet celebration against Miami:
Colts fans learned about the real Bynum in a hurry.
Third Best Safety in the Business thru One Week
Here’s where Bynum’s outing stacked against all NFL safeties in Week 1 per PFF:
- Kyle Hamilton, BAL (93.4)
- Evan Williams, GB (90.5)
- Camryn Bynum, IND (87.2)
- Xavier Woods, TEN (87.2)
- Brian Branch, DET (85.1)
- Will Harris, WAS (84.3)
- Julian Blackmon, NO (83.9)
- Derwin James, LAC
Compliment for His Old Teammate
Bynum also took the time this week to commend his former teammate, Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who led his team to an unlikely comeback and game-winning drive in Week 1, while speaking to FanDuel‘s Kay Adams.
“J.J. McCarthy happened. All the stories about how much of a maniac J.J. is — all those stories came true,” Bynum told Adams.
Bynum has been a loud endorser of McCarthy for the last 16 months and has continued the trend as a member of a different team.
Next? Home Cooking vs. DEN
This weekend, Indianapolis will take on the 1-0 Broncos, a squad that narrowly defeated the Tennessee Titans in Week 1.
Denver’s defense played outstandingly — that’s what it does — but the offense raised eyebrows due to Bo Nix’s relative inefficiency. Broncos fans spent most of the offseason pounding the table for Nix’s next progression in the NFL, but he played quite awful to start 2025.
Bynum and the Colts will hope to continue to flummox Nix at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.
Colts-Themed Media on Bynum
Indy Star‘s Akeem Glaspie took notice of Bynum’s top-notch celebration routine and wrote this week, “Indianapolis Colts safety Camryn Bynum plays football with passion, joy and an infectious amount of energy. The five-year veteran exudes positivity.”
“He’s the type of person who always has a smile affixed to his face. He embraces having fun and he takes his turnover celebrations very seriously. Bynum keeps a list of celebrations in his phone. He comes into each game with at least three celebrations planned. If a teammate needs a celebration, Bynum said he’ll gladly serve as the designated celebrator if needed.”
Bynum served as the Vikings’ “celebration coordinator,” a job he has apparently transferred to Indianapolis.
“He went viral last season for his ode to Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn after an interception against the Jacksonville Jaguars. During Sunday’s season opener against the Miami Dolphins, Bynum continued to raise the celebration bar with his flopping fish/crab celebration after a first-quarter interception of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Bynum and the Colts defense kept the Dolphins off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter, helping the host earn a 33-8 win,” Glaspie added.
“Bynum had a celebration planned involving linebacker Zaire Franklin and cornerback Kenny Moore II, but after Moore’s sack and forced fumble in the second quarter, the Colts defenders were celebrating too hard to remember what they had planned.”
The next step is to track whether Bynum’s Top 3 safety grades are sustainable. He’s never entered that sphere of stardom.
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