Indianapolis Colts’ general manager Chris Ballard called his construction of the 2024 roster a “mistake.” What Ballard was referring to specifically was the lack of competition throughout the roster after he decided to trot out a nearly identical team to what we saw in 2023.
So if competition is the emphasis this offseason for Ballard in an effort to help his team grow and avoid complacency, what does that mean for the Colts numerous pending free agents?
As Ballard said, as an 8-9 team, the Colts aren’t close right now. That would lead one to believe that there is going to be some roster turnover this offseason in an effort to ramp up competition. However, that approach very much goes against the grain when it comes to how Ballard has operated previously.
Does being on the hot seat lead to a philosophical approach when it comes to free agency? Ultimately, only time will tell.
But in the meantime, I took a swing at putting each of the Colts’ upcoming unrestricted free agents into one of four different categories, ranking their return for 2025 and beyond by what I believe the team’s priority should be.