INDIANAPOLIS – One of the offseason priorities was providing roster-wide competition, which involved adding “stress.”
Chris Ballard conceded that was lacking with his Indianapolis Colts during a 2024 season that resulted in an 8-9 record and failing to make the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. If you need a historical perspective regarding the prolonged malaise, consider the last time the franchise endured such a lengthy playoff drought was 1988-94.
The overriding objective was to upgrade the roster by addressing the various deficiencies. By any and every means possible.
As owner Jim Irsay commanded his general manager: “Fix it.”
“He was direct,” Ballard shared in early January. “‘Look, Chris, y’all need to win. Y’all need to get this thing going back in the right direction’.”
Ballard and his personnel staff have spent the past six weeks doing precisely that, and they’ve used every roster-building tool at their disposal. They doled out the two fattest free-agent contracts in Ballard’s nine-year stint, brought in legitimate competition for quarterback Anthony Richardson and addressed depth concerns with a few other free agents, made certain right tackle Braden Smith would return for an eighth season by revising his contract, and re-signed a handful of their own valued players.
The Colts also have seen more than a half-dozen of their own relocate.
Such is life in the nomadic NFL.
The next step in the process is the April 24-26 NFL Draft. The Colts hold seven picks overall, including No. 14.
Indy’s roster, with 90 available spots during the offseason, sits at 69.
Here’s a look at the various moves that have been made, including the corresponding contracts, according to Spotrac.com:
Free agent additions
- CB Charvarius Ward: 3 years, $60 million, $35 million guaranteed.
- S Cam Bynum: 4 years, $60 million, $32 million guaranteed.
- QB Daniel Jones: 1 year, $14 million, $13.17 million guaranteed.
- DT Neville Gallimore: 1 year, $1.337 million, $400,000 guaranteed.
- RB Khalil Herbert: 1 year, $1.337 million, $482,500 guaranteed.
- CB Corey Ballentine: 1 year, $1.337 million, $482,500 guaranteed.
- K Spencer Shrader: 2 years, $2.15 million, $750,000 guaranteed.
Retained
- RT Braden Smith: Revised contract, lowering base salary from $14.75 million to $3.96 million with a chance to earn roughly $3 million through incentives. Smith also received a $2 million roster bonus.
Re-signed
- TE Mo Alie-Cox: 1 year, $2.2 million, $1.167 million guaranteed.
- WR Ashton Dulin: 2 years, $6.5 million, $2.9 million guaranteed.
- C Danny Pinter: 1 year, $1.667 million, $750,000 guaranteed.
- OL Wesley French: 1 year, $1.05 million, $20,000 guaranteed.
- CB David Long Jr.: 1 year, $1.17 million.
Released
- DT Raekwon Davis: freed up $6.5 million under the cap; counts $2.5 million in dead money.
- K Matt Gay: freed up $2.75 million under cap; counts $4 million in dead money.
Moving on
- C Ryan Kelly: 2 years, $18 million with Minnesota, $9.25 million guaranteed.
- G Will Fries: 5 years, $87.7 million with Minnesota, $44 million guaranteed.
- DE Dayo Odeyingbo: 3 years, $48 million with Chicago, $32 million guaranteed.
- TE Kylen Granson: 1 year, $1.750 million with Philadelphia, $1 million guaranteed.
- QB Joe Flacco: 1 year, $4 million with Cleveland, $4 million guaranteed.
- LB E.J. Speed: 1 year, $3.5 million with Houston, $3.25 million guaranteed.
- LB Grant Stuard: 1 year, $1.7 million with Detroit, $1.7 million guaranteed.
- QB Sam Ehlinger: 1 year, $1.337 million with Denver, $467,500 guaranteed.
Still unsigned
- S Julian Blackmon
- DT Taven Bryan
- G Mark Glowinski
- WR Juwann Winfree
- RB Trey Sermon
- S Ronnie Harrison Jr
You can follow Mike Chappell on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @mchappell51.