Indianapolis Colts GM Chris Ballard pledged to add more competition to the roster this offseason, and that’s exactly what he’s done to this point.
Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard had a regret that he wanted to rectify entering this offseason.
This time last year, he planned to invest almost solely in internal veterans to push the team where they wanted to go in the 2024 season rather than bring in many new outside free agents. It did not work how Ballard thought it would, as the team went 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season.
“I didn’t do a good enough job creating enough competition throughout the roster and keep everybody on edge,” Ballard lamented during his end-of-season press conference. “There’s got to be some stress. There has to be. There has to be real stress within that locker room, an uncomfortability that if I don’t play well enough, my ass will not be on the field playing. That directly falls on my shoulders.
“I mean, it’s a lesson. It’s a crappy lesson that I learned,” Ballard continued. “I do a pretty good job self-evaluating. Now I’m hardheaded, and I will talk myself way back into I was right. But this occurrence, I was wrong. I was wrong.”
When the offseason began, Ballard talked the talk, and so far has walked the walk, bringing in six new outside free agents in the first week of the new league year, while five Colts free agents have signed with other teams. Indy also created nearly $16 million in salary cap space by releasing Raekwon Davis and redoing Braden Smith’s contract.
The players that Ballard has brought in already have represented legitimate competition or an outright replacement for another player, from the most important position on the field at quarterback all the way down to the kicker.
The Colts still have roughly $21M in cap space, according to OverTheCap.com, and a little more than 20 roster spots to fill between free agents, draft picks, and undrafted rookies, so it’s safe to say they’re far from done adding competition to the building.
Daniel Jones Brought in to Compete vs. Anthony Richardson for QB1
Whether you feel positive about the Daniel Jones signing or not, it is a legitimate competition for the starting quarterback spot between him and Anthony Richardson. The Colts have every reason to want Richardson to succeed and win the job, but if he doesn’t, Jones is someone who has started nearly 70 games in his career and elected to spend the latter part of the season developing from a high-quality quarterback program with the Minnesota Vikings. The Colts aren’t handing their former fourth-overall draft pick the starting job.
Charvarius Ward, Camryn Bynum Provide Immediate Credibility
The Colts’ defense has been at its best over the years when they have a legitimate top cornerback locking down receivers, from Vontae Davis to Xavier Rhodes to Stephon Gilmore. The Colts hoped to have that in JuJu Brents, but he’s been injured far more than he’s been healthy, so the Colts have tried to get by with what else they have. They put an end to that last week by signing former All-Pro Charvarius Ward, who is going to be tasked with handling opponents’ best receivers. While Brents, Jaylon Jones, and Samuel Womack III are adequate players on the outside, none of them have Ward’s accomplishments. The Colts even added veteran Corey Ballentine, who has 11 career starts, to the end of the cornerback depth chart.
At safety, the Colts added Camryn Bynum to replace Julian Blackmon, and Bynum is exactly the type of safety that new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo works best with. Last year, the Colts tried to sell the fanbase on a safety group that didn’t live up to the billing. Blackmon had to move to free safety because no one else could do it, and because the Colts didn’t sign any depth there, Blackmon had to play through a labrum injury through most of the season, which affected his play. Luckily for them, strong safety Nick Cross took a big step forward in his development.
Competition Behind Jonathan Taylor Begins
Outside of Jonathan Taylor, there wasn’t much of a running back group last year, and that’s evidenced by Taylor seeing over 80% of the offensive snaps in games he played. Trey Sermon was the RB2 but averaged just 3.9 yards per touch (rushing and receiving). He was, however, the Colts’ best running back option in pass protection. Tyler Goodson was fine as a pass catcher and is much more explosive than Sermon, but has never climbed beyond RB3 status. The Colts signed former Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals running back Khalil Herbert, who averaged 4.8 yards per carry and 5.9 yards per reception for his career. Out of 400 career carries, 46 have gone for 10-plus yards, and that’s behind bad offensive lines. Herbert also averages 7.0 yards after the catch despite his average depth of target being behind the line of scrimmage. He’s reached 18 first downs on 53 receptions (34%).
While the addition of Herbert is a quality one, the Colts still need someone (likely in the draft) who is adept in pass protection, such as Ollie Gordon or Damien Martinez, in the middle rounds.
Future is Now for the Offensive Line
The Colts were willing to let their longest-tenured player, center Ryan Kelly, leave in free agency, due in large part because they drafted his supposed successor, Tanor Bortolini, last year. Likewise, top in-house free agent Will Fries joined Kelly in Minnesota but appears slated to be replaced by 2024 draft pick Matt Goncalves. The Colts planned for this possibility, and by retaining Smith, it allows Goncalves to focus on one spot.
The Colts will still need to find a way to bring in competition for Bortolini and Goncalves while also filling the vacancy left behind by the depth they provided last season. The Colts brought back Danny Pinter and Wesley French last week to have a level of security and familiarity, although it’s highly doubtful they’re done addressing those areas.
Replacing Subpar Play: Out with the Old
The Colts drafted Kylen Granson in the middle of the 2021 draft with the hopes he would eventually be a field-stretching, YAC-producing tight end. While he has achieved that in the most minimal terms, he never grabbed hold of the position and became a primary option in the passing game. To this point, the Colts have not re-signed him, and it doesn’t seem as if they will, as their focus at the position shifts to the draft.
The Colts will still need to find a way to bring in competition for Bortolini and Goncalves while also filling the vacancy left behind by the depth they provided last season. The Colts brought back Danny Pinter and Wesley French last week to have a level of security and familiarity, although it’s highly doubtful they’re done addressing those areas.
Replacing Subpar Play: Out with the Old
The Colts drafted Kylen Granson in the middle of the 2021 draft with the hopes he would eventually be a field-stretching, YAC-producing tight end. While he has achieved that in the most minimal terms, he never grabbed hold of the position and became a primary option in the passing game. To this point, the Colts have not re-signed him, and it doesn’t seem as if they will, as their focus at the position shifts to the draft.
Meanwhile, the Colts’ signing of Davis last year did not pan out, as their two-year, $14M investment turned into a release after one year of being the defense’s lowest-graded player (per Pro Football Focus). The Colts have since signed free-agent defensive tackle Neville Gallimore to compete with Adetomiwa Adebawore for the DT3 spot. That is unless they draft or sign another player at the position.
Pressure is On for NFL’s Richest Free-Agent Kicker
The Colts signed Matt Gay to a four-year, $22.5M deal, including $13M in guaranteed money in 2023, which was the richest free-agent contract given to a kicker in NFL history at the time. While Gay has been an adequate kicker, his 82.1% field goal percentage over the last two seasons isn’t even among the top 25 in the NFL, which is obviously not what the Colts had hoped for upon making a deal of that magnitude. On top of that, Gay has struggled from 50-plus yards, connecting on just 11-of-22 (50%) attempts.
Shrader, on the other hand, is trending up, which is likely why the Colts brought him back. The Colts signed him as an undrafted rookie last year but went with Gay going into the season. Shrader did fill in for an injured Gay for one game with the Colts, but then Shrader moved on for brief opportunities with the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs. In his rookie season, Shrader went 5-of-5 on field goals and 9-of-9 on extra points — while also handling kickoff duties — for three different teams, showing terrific poise and confidence.
