For the second offseason in a row, general manager Chris Ballard had to answer questions about the Colts’ performance on defense in the secondary. And for the second offseason in a row, Ballard had to admit that the play wasn’t good enough.
“We’ve got to get better,” said Ballard about the cornerback and safety positions.
Ballard was far too bullish on his young secondary coming into the 2024 season. After admitting last year that he didn’t give then-defensive coordinator Gus Bradley enough help on the back end in 2023, Ballard chose not to make any significant additions during the 2024 offseason.
“That falls on all of us,” Ballard said of the defense via the Indy Star. “I bet on some young players coming through. JuJu (Brents) gets hurt, Dallis (Flowers) was coming off his injury, and at the end of the day, I did not give them enough. We have got to, in totality, do better defensively, from a player acquisition standpoint and from a play standpoint.”
Now, there was some good. Nick Cross was one of a couple players who took a step forward this season, while Jaylon Jones had some flashes, and Samuel Womack was a good find on waivers.
However, the numbers still tell the more accurate story and illustrate the struggles that the Colts again had.
The Colts’ secondary allowed 7.6 yards per pass attempt–the fifth-most in football–and showcasing both the efficiency and big play ability that opposing quarterbacks had against this secondary.
Indianapolis also generated the fourth-fewest pass deflections, allowed the second highest completion percentage, and the 10th best opponent passer rating.
Throughout Ballard’s season-ending press conference he continually took onus for not creating enough competition on this roster, which fostered complacency.
We didn’t need to see how the 2024 season unfolded to know that banking on the growth of a young and injured cornerback room to elevate the play of the secondary came with obvious risks.
So far, of the three reported defensive coordinator interviews taking place, all three candidates have a background of working with defensive backs.
From the sounds of it, a different approach will be taken this offseason, although Ballard was non-committal in regards to what that meant for free agency. But if he’s going to truly look to bolster the competition on the roster, then there needs to be several additions to the cornerback and safety rooms made in the coming months.