The Indianapolis Colts will always be looking to bring in younger players and at times at the expense of veteran leadership. In 2019, general manager Chris Ballard feels he may have taken that for granted.
As the locker room is a vital part of team success, having leadership is where it begins. The Colts parted ways with some of their leadership during the 2019 offseason, and Ballard feels it may have come as a detriment to the team.
“We missed the leadership of a guy like Al Woods, a guy like Mike Mitchell,” Ballard said in his year-end presser. “Those players, maybe I took it for granted a little bit that I could just throw in a bunch of young players and they would — I don’t think you can ever overestimate the power of veteran leadership, even if they’re not frontline players for you.”
The Colts have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL. It has been that way since Ballard stripped down the roster when he began his tenure in 2017.
The Colts have a few players that could fit the bill of veteran leadership but are set to leave in 2020. Chiefly among them is defensive end Jabaal Sherd, who is an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins in March.
Sheard is turning 31 years old in May. The Colts have a pair of young pass rushers in Kemoko Turay ad Ben Banogu to go along with Justin Houston, but this may be a case when Ballard brings Sheard back for his veteran leadership.
He feels having that type of presence helps when the season starts to feel a little long.
“Just when it gets a little hard, they’re a calming factor. That’s my fault,” Ballard said. “And I’ve got to do a better job of acquiring the right type of veterans on the defense and on the offensive side of the ball who can help guys get through these rough moments.”
It will be interesting if this leads the Colts to hanging on to some of their veterans that are set to leave. Regardless, Ballard won’t be afraid of keeping more veterans on the roster going forward.