Indianapolis Colts’ GM Chris Ballard called his construction of the 2024 roster a “mistake.” So will that lead to a more aggressive free agency approach in 2025?
The biggest “mistake” that Ballard was referencing when it came to the 2024 Colts was the lack of competition on the roster.
“I screwed that up,” Ballard said about the last free agency period.
After the team went 9-8 in 2023, narrowly missing out on the playoffs, Ballard chose to run-it-back and prioritized re-signing his own players rather than making more outside additions.
At that time, Ballard believed the team was closer to being a playoff team than what they actually were. He also acknowledged that “ego” and “complacency” on the roster, which DeForest Buckner called out, was part of the problem.
“Instead of really creating competition throughout and throwing new blood into the locker room, new players into the locker room, I said ‘you know what, we’re gonna run it back,’ Ballard said. “That was a mistake.”
All of his implies that a much different free agency approach is going to take place this year for the Colts.
As I detailed here, the Colts currently have roughly $36 million in available salary cap space this offseason, according to Over the Cap, which ranks around the middle of the pack. There are, of course moves that can be made to increase that amount.
A few of the positions that Ballard mentioned or was asked about when it came to bolstering the depth and adding competition were in the secondary, at both the cornerback and safety positions, along with at quarterback and the offensive line.
A few other positions that should be on the Colts radar include tight end, linebacker, and running back depth.
“We’ve got to be better about making sure that we identify the right free agents that can help push this team to where it needs to go,” said Ballard.
With it only being January 10th, Ballard wasn’t going to commit to any specifics in regards to how this free agency period was going to be handled.
“We have not formulated a plan (as of yet),” said Ballard “But what I’m going to tell you is we are going to be open to making sure we do what is best going forward to build a competitive roster.”