Tag: chris ballard

GM Chris Ballard: Colts need to see better play out of young DBs in 2024

The Colts relied heavily on several young DBs last season, but as Chris Ballard said, they are no longer rookies and better play is needed.

During his season-ending press conference back in January, Colts GM Chris Ballard acknowledged that he put defensive coordinator Gus Bradley in a difficult spot having to rely heavily on so many young players in the secondary.

However, even with that being the case, and the performance from that group often reflecting that, Ballard didn’t make any outside additions to improve his safety or cornerback rooms during free agency.

In part, doing that is dependent upon who is available, what other teams are interested, the contract, and other factors. But, as Ballard acknowledged when meeting with reporters on Friday, those young players in the secondary are no longer rookies, and a jump in 2024 is the expectation from this group.

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“I think getting Dallis Flowers back will help,” said Ballard. “I think, looking back on it, when I made that statement, the injury part of it played into it, and then we gave him a bunch of rookies. Well now, they’re no longer rookies anymore. Jaylon Jones is no longer a rookie. JuJu (Brents) is no longer a rookie. Dallis Flowers we’re hoping to get back healthy. We got back Kenny (Moore) back in the mix. I think anybody within in the grand scheme of things would tell you that he’s one of the top nickels in the league.

“It’s not like these guys don’t have enough talent. Do we want to add some more? Of course. We always want to add competition. What we did was we gave him a bunch of young players without a vet presence back there other than Kenny and Julian (Blackmon).”

Last season in the secondary, the Colts relied heavily on Brents, a 2023 second-round pick who also dealt with injuries, along with Jones, a seventh-round pick last April. Darrell Baker, a 2022 undrafted rookie, would end up playing 469 defensive snaps, while at safety Nick Cross, who played only 122 snaps as a rookie in 2022, took on a larger role.

The results, as we all saw and Ballard has referred to, were up and down — at best. Explosive pass plays were an issue in 2023, with the Colts ranking in the bottom half of the NFL in big pass plays surrendered.

As a unit, the Colts ranked 22nd in yards per pass attempt allowed and 22nd in pass breakups. During the final four games of the season, with the Colts battling for a playoff spot, the 68 percent completion rate given up ranked 30th during that span.

In other key metrics, like interceptions forced, completion rate allowed for the season and passer rating, the Colts were around the middle of the pack. So it’s not as if it was all bad by any means, but overall, they remained wildly inconsistent, which is to be expected when relying heavily on young players.

“No. Not anymore,” said Ballard when asked if the secondary was too young. ”I think they’ve grown up. It’s been fun to watch them. Once you play 16-17 games in this league, you’ve grown up to the fact where you’re no longer a rookie. So I think we’ll see better play out of them.”

It’s for these reasons that every draft analyst out there has cornerback as a top priority for the Colts to address next week. While Ballard’s hope and expectations are that things improve in 2024, that’s not a given either, and relying solely on that to happen comes with obvious risks.

The good news is that this draft is considered to be fairly strong at the cornerback position. A strong draft class on the offensive side of the ball could push top cornerback options Quinyon Mitchell or Terrion Arnold down to the Colts at No. 15.

Other first-round options — perhaps not at 15th overall — include Nate Wiggins, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Cooper DeJean.

With that said, if Ballard does feel strongly about the young defensive backs already on the roster making a leap, then perhaps he doesn’t feel the same urgency as some on the outside to address cornerback right away, which would then free him up to prioritize adding a playmaking presence on offense instead — another big need.

Competition is an important factor when it comes to seeing improved play, and as Ballard mentioned, it is something they are always looking to add. So it’s not a matter of whether the Colts add a defensive back, but more so a question of when.

Regardless of how it happens — a jump by young players on the roster or an infusion of talent through the draft — the play on the back end of the Colts’ defense has to improve.

“It’s kind of like the (expletive)-whipping y’all gave the O-line two years ago,” Ballard said, comparing the criticism to his cornerback room. “Y’all just (said), ‘The O-line sucks. They can’t play.’ I kept going, ‘Man, the second half of the season, I didn’t think it was that bad.’ There were some individual moments, of course, but I thought they got better as they played.”

Colts GM Chris Ballard: OL, WR groups ‘stand out’ in 2024 NFL draft

At his pre-draft press conference, Colts GM Chris Ballard mentioned offensive line and wide receiver as being two standout positions in the draft.

In the upcoming NFL draft, there are two position groups that stand out above the rest, according to Colts GM Chris Ballard, and one of them in particular is a big need for Indianapolis.

“I think there’s a few positions that’s got some real depth,” said Ballard Friday at his pre-draft press conference. “Like the O-line in this draft is excellent and there’s depth throughout. I truly believe you’re going to get a really good player in those mid-rounds and even some later because of the depth of the group.

“Wideout is very similar. Those two position groups stand out. They’re really good.”

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Of the top 100 prospects on PFF’s big board, 40 are either receivers or offensive linemen, with 20 players representing each position group.

Early in the draft, the offensive line may not be a huge need for the Colts. The unit tied for sixth in pass-blocking efficiency last season and ranked 11th in run-block win rate. It is returning its starting five, which should include a healthy Braden Smith.

However, as we all know, the draft is about planning ahead. As we look ahead to the 2025 offseason, center Ryan Kelly and guard Will Fries are both set to be free agents.

Smith, meanwhile, will be in the final year of his contract at that time and comes with a nearly $20 million cap hit. While the Colts have invested in the offensive line regularly in the last few drafts, this is one of the most important positions in football. And as Ballard mentioned, there’s a ton of talent, even in the middle to later portions of the draft, which could be a sweet spot for the Colts to add to this unit.

Receiver is a much more pressing need, with the Colts wanting to infuse more playmaking into the offense. The overall depth of this unit could be elevated as well.

With so much talent in this year’s draft class, Ballard has options. Although receiver is one of the bigger perceived needs that the Colts have, potentially knowing that Ballard can find more immediate impact help on Day 2 or even later could allow him to address other needs early on, such as cornerback, safety or edge rusher.

The top three wide receivers in this class — Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze — will all be off the board by the time the Colts are on the clock.

At least based on the outside perception of how this draft might shake out, the only receiver option for the Colts at No. 15 overall could be LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. Other potential first-round receivers, like Texas’ Adonai Mitchell or Xavier Worthy, are projected to go later.

It’s a scenario like this that could lead to the Colts tackling a different need in the first round or even trading back to still land one of those top pass-catchers but accumulating an additional top-100 pick in the process.

During his time as GM, Ballard has shown a willingness to make trades, which has often resulted in him moving down rather than up.

“I just go off history,” said Ballard. “The more picks you have, the better chance you have to hit. Now, of course, you’re not going to hit on all of them, but it gives you a better chance to hit.”

With there being so much talent on the offensive side of the ball in this year’s draft, the benefit for the Colts is that a run on offensive players early on will push down some of those top defenders.

That could mean that cornerbacks Terrion Arnold or Quinyon Mitchell, or edge rusher Jared Verse, could be available when the Colts are picking.

“I will say this,” added Ballard, “I do think you’re going to see a lot of offensive players taken early in the first round. I’m not saying it’s a weak defensive class, but it is a really strong offensive draft, especially at the top of it.”

Highlights from Colts GM Chris Ballard’s pre-draft press conference

Colts’ GM Chris Ballard spoke with reporters on Friday afternoon in a pre-draft press conference. Here are the highlights from it.

On Friday afternoon, less than one week before the 2024 NFL Draft, Colts’ GM Chris Ballard met with reporters for about 20 minutes to discuss a variety of topics.

Here are the highlights from it and what you need to know:

– With a young quarterback, or any quarterback, you’ve got to be able to protect him. Ballard thinks the offensive line did well with that last year and will continue to. You’ve also got to be able to continue to add playmakers around him as well. Notes the importance of re-signing Michael Pittman, Jonathan Taylor being healthy, along with Alec Pierce and Josh Downs taking steps forward.

– More on Taylor: with him coming into this offseason fully healthy, Ballard said he expects a big year from him.

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– Colts need more playmaking on offense and Ballard was asked about the significance of YAC in helping with that. He says teams are always looking for guys who are “dangerous with the ball in their hands,” but notes that a lot of YAC can be obtained when plays break downs and a scramble drill ensuses because pass-catchers are then operating in space.

– Balance of drafting players who do one thing at an elite level versus a more well-rounded player who can do a few things at a high level: Ballard makes it clear there is no perfect player. They all have strengths and weaknesses, but it’s about figuring out what that player does really well and consistently putting him in those positions. Ballard is meeting with the coaching staff on Friday and Saturday to discuss what the “vision” is for several draft prospects.

– In January, Ballard mentioned not giving Gus Bradley enough on defense yet didn’t make many outside additions in free agency. Ballard said that was in part about who was available and the circumstances around it. He adds that getting Dallis Flowers back from injury will help, and while last year the Colts relied heavily on rookies in the secondary, JuJu Brents, Jaylon Jones, etc. are no longer rookies and improved play should come with that.

– A majority of the team’s best players need to come from the draft. Free agency is too expensive, and it’s not a long-term answer. In today’s NFL, rookies coming in are more ready to play and it’s often expected that they contribute in some capacity. Ballard adds that you have to get two or three guys each year who can make an immediate impact.

– There is a tug-of-war that takes place, and a “balance” that has to be struck between a GM focusing on long-term needs and the coaching staff often focused on wanting immediate help.

– The Colts re-signed a number of their own players to shorter, three-year deals. Ballard says that, in part, it’s because of the player’s ages, but this is also a trend that’s taking place league-wide.

– Ballard reiterates the importance of blocking and protecting for your quarterback. Adds that if you look at the playoff teams, they have that ability.

– Ballard was asked about how why they structured DeForest Buckner’s deal the way they did, which freed up about $14 million in cap space: “It gives us flexibility.”

– Shane Steichen is able to quickly identify the strengths of a prospect and establish a vision for how he would fit into his offensive system. “That makes it fun,” said Ballard.

– Ballard has 19 to 21 prospects with first-round grades.

– Ballard notes that there is offensive line depth throughout this draft class, giving teams the ability to land a good player in the middle to even late rounds. He adds that receiver is in a similar spot. “Those two position groups stand out. They’re both really good.”

– Ballard thinks that there will be a lot of offensive players taken early in the first round, and that speaks to the talent that is on that side of the ball in this year’s class. It’s not a weak defensive class, but a really strong offensive class, especially at the top.

– Ballard on trading down more often than trading up: “I just go off history. The more picks you have the better chance you have to hit. Now, of course, you’re not going to hit on all of them, but it gives you a better chance to hit.” Adds that if they see someone in striking distance they will move up, as they did with Jonathan Taylor, but it also takes someone else wanting to make the trade.

– Ballard on trading up in the first round: “I think it would depend. There would have to be someone within striking distance we felt was really unique and a difference-maker for us.

– Drew Ogletree has been removed from the commissioner’s exempt list and is back with the team. Ogletree was cleared of domestic violence charges, and Ballard is “absolutely comfortable” with the info he received.

– Ballard spoke very highly of new defensive line coach Charlie Partridge’s ability to develop players.

NFL combine pressers for Chris Ballard, Shane Steichen set

The GM and HC will meet with the media at the NFL combine.

Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen will meet with the media at the NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday, Feb. 28.

An annual tradition of NFL general managers and head coaches meeting with the media, there isn’t a major expectation that any big reveals will come for the Colts. Still, it’s the first time these two have met with the media since the end of the season.

While the last combine pressers for Ballard and Steichen revolved solely around the quarterback position, it will take a much different direction this time around. Anthony Richardson has begun throwing again so the focus will be on his support.

Nothing major is ever revealed during the combine pressers, but there are little nuggets we can take from the interviews while breaking down every word they say in hopes of finding a piece of information about the team’s offseason plans.

The NFL combine drills begin Thursday, Feb. 29, with the defensive linemen and linebackers. It was announced earlier this offseason that the combine will stay in Indy through the 2025 offseason.

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Colts among teams ‘best set up for the future’

PFF sees a bright future for the Colts.

The Indianapolis Colts find themselves in a position to build off a surprisingly solid season despite many things going against them.

Now, they enter the 2024 offseason with a lot of salary-cap space and a young quarterback who will look to take the next step after his rookie season was cut short due to injury.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Colts are among the five teams that are best set up for the future.

4. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS ($58.9M IN CAP SPACE)

The Colts don’t have quite as much cap room as the Titans, but given where quarterback Anthony Richardson was selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, they will be confident that they have the position figured out for the foreseeable future.

Perhaps they will look to make a splash on defense and add an impact defender like cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, who earned a 71.1 PFF grade with the Kansas City Chiefs this past regular season. But the biggest advantage of having so much cap room is that they can place the franchise tag on wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. as they look to keep him around long term.

Re-signing Pittman is the first piece of action the Colts must take. Signing him to an extension would be ideal, but they also have the franchise tag in their back pocket if they need it.

Adding more explosiveness on the offensive side of the ball is necessary this offseason to help further the development of Anthony Richardson.

On the defensive side of the ball, adding to the cornerback room will help with the depth concerns. Whether they go after a big fish like Sneed remains to be seen because Ballard rarely spends up in free agency.

Regardless, the Colts have a solid foundation to build off going into the offseason, and it should be interesting to see how they go about things given they know who their quarterback is.

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Colts’ Rusty Jones announces retirement

Rusty Jones is retiring.

Indianapolis Colts director of sports performance Rusty Jones retired from the NFL, the team announced Tuesday.

Jones spent 34 years in the NFL and the last six seasons with the Colts after being hired in 2018.

“Rusty is one of the most well-respected conditioning and nutrition experts in our industry. His energy and passion for sports nutrition is unmatched and Rusty has helped numerous athletes in his career reach their full potential with his knowledge and guidance,” said general manager Chris Ballard in a statement. “Moreso, he is one of the most authentic people I have come across in my career and the Colts were fortunate to have Rusty for the last six years. I’m excited for him to start the next chapter of his life with his wife, Sharon, and son, Tyler.”

Jones entered the league in 1985 with the Buffalo Bills serving as their strength and conditioning coordinator for 19 years. He then was promoted to director of physical development and assistant to the head coach in 2004.

Jones was hired by the Chicago Bears in 2005, serving as the strength and conditioning coordinator for three seasons. He then was promoted to the role of director of physical development in 2008, a role he held until announcing his initial retirement following the 2012 season.

Jones was named the 2006 National Professional Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year.

He turned to consulting in 2014, doing so for four seasons before joining the Colts’ staff in 2018.

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5 toughest decisions for Colts GM Chris Ballard this offseason

Plenty of tough decisions await Colts GM Chris Ballard this offseason.

What a difference a year has made for Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard.

He went from having to find a new head coach and selecting a franchise quarterback to having to put together a roster that can go on a deep playoff run next season.

Ballard’s key decisions this offseason come mostly on players that were on the roster in 2023.

Here are the five toughest he has to decide on in the coming months:

Biggest offseason storylines for the Colts in 2024

These are the biggest storylines for the Colts entering the 2024 offseason.

After narrowly missing out on the playoffs, the Indianapolis Colts will regroup for a vital offseason in hopes of remaining competitive during the 2024 season.

Unlike our article detailing the storylines at this time last year, the Colts know who their head coach and starting quarterback are. There’s a lot of promise with the duo of Shane Steichen and Anthony Richardson once the latter is able to practice again.

But even if there may not be as much drama this offseason, there are still plenty of storylines to follow.

Before it arrives, here’s a look at the biggest offseason storylines the Colts face in 2024:

Colts’ Michael Pittman Jr. wants to do due diligence with next contract

Michael Pittman Jr. may want to test the free-agent waters, but it’s unlikely the Colts allow it to get to that point.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is coming off his best season since entering the league, proving to be a vital cog in Shane Steichen’s offense. Now, it’s time to get paid.

Having completed the final year of his rookie contract, Pittman is going to see an incredible uptick in salary regardless of how the offseason shakes out. The odds state that Pittman will be wearing the horseshoe when it’s all said and done, but that doesn’t mean he’s automatically returning.

The former second-round pick told reporters after the Colts’ season ended that he wants to see what kind of offers he can get for his next contract.

“As of right now until March whatever, I’m still a Colt,” Pittman said last week. “But speaking to the contract stuff, I made it this far so – I’ve loved my four years here, but I wouldn’t be doing my due diligence if I didn’t explore every option and find the best fit.”

In theory, that’s all fine and good. In reality, players with Pittman’s talent, production and value don’t hit the market. This is especially true at the wide receiver position, which is increasing in value every offseason.

Pittman may want to see what the free agent market has to offer, but unless both sides are wildly far apart during contract negotiations over the next month, he likely won’t even get the chance to test the waters.

First, the Colts have enough salary cap space to give Pittman a market-level deal north of $20 million annually. Having quarterback Anthony Richardson on a rookie contract gives them that type of flexibility.

Second, the Colts have the franchise tag in their back pocket. Even if they’d prefer to get him under contract, they can use that tool to extend the negotiations until the middle of July if they decide to apply the franchise tag before the new league year arrives March 13.

Depending on what type of tag the Colts apply to Pittman in this hypothetical scenario, it could bar other teams from even approaching him with a contract offer. That’s if they use the exclusive franchise tag.

Third, there’s truly no reason a deal shouldn’t get done. The Colts value Pittman, and he’s been one of the most productive wide receivers in franchise history to begin a career.

General manager Chris Ballard had no issues telling the media how he feels about Pittman.

“I care deeply about him. We have a really good relationship. It’s an honest one – almost too honest I think sometimes. But that’s what I love about him. The guy is competitive. He’s tough. He cares. He wants to win. We’re going to work to get him back. We’ll work through that. I know we’re going to have a few free agents you’re all going to want to talk about, and I’m probably going to give you the same answer. I would like to have them all back, but it doesn’t work that way. It’s just the nature of what we do. Pitt is a good football player for us, and hopefully he still remains a Colt.”

The Colts are the only team that can negotiate with Pittman until the legal tampering period opens March 11, so there’s plenty of time for a deal to get done.

We’ll keep you updated on the latest news regarding those contract talks between the Colts and their star wide receiver.

Colts DC Gus Bradley expected to return for 2024

Gus Bradley is expected back for 2024.

Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley is expected to return to his current role for the 2024 season.

Though there was some speculation that the Colts may part ways with Bradley considering the up-and-down season from his defensive unit, general manager Chris Ballard made it pretty clear during his end-of-season press conference that Bradley will remain under contract.

The defensive season certainly had its ups and downs. The scheme was pretty straightforward as well. Bradley’s scheme was mostly Cover-3 with some quarters (Cover-4) and Cover-1 mixed in. He also rarely disguised his coverages pre-snap.

According to Cody Alexander, Bradley’s scheme used disguised coverage near the lowest rate in the NFL.

Essentially, this tells us Bradley was using the same coverages the majority of the time while rarely using any pre-snap disguises to confuse the opposing offenses.

Bradley has never been one to disguise his coverages. That’s simply not a part of his scheme and philosophy. It also was partly due to the fact that the Colts trotted out such a young and inexperienced secondary.

Ballard came to Bradley’s defense a bit during his press conference this week while still acknowledging the failures of the unit.

“Look, it’s an area we have to improve. In a little bit of defense, the year before he comes in and we kind of had – I don’t want to say a veteran team, but we had some veteran players,” Ballard said. “Then I just said look, we’re going to go young in some spots. We went young in the secondary and look, there were some rough moments at times in the secondary and I don’t completely put that on them. I put that more on me, but how do you ever develop any continuity, especially with your own guys if you don’t just play them? So I decided to go young. We took our lumps, took our lumps at times but I think it’s going to pay off down the line for them.”

Ballard also admitted the points-per-game mark is an area that certainly needs to improve.

“The points do need to come down. We’ll continue to have long discussions about where we’re going and how we’ll get that done. But saying that, we had new starters on defense. We did do some good things too. We got after the passer pretty good. I think it’s got to be a little better but 51 sacks is pretty good,” Ballard said. “Took the ball away, we need to be a little better there in that area and we have to take away the explosives. But I would expect us to take another jump here this year on defense.”

The Colts defense allowed 24.4 points per game in 2023, which ranked as the fifth-most in the NFL, just ahead of the Denver Broncos (24.3) and just behind the Carolina Panthers (24.5).

The unit did rank 11th on third-down percentage (37.08%) and eighth in sacks per pass attempt (8.98%). However, the defense also ranked 24th in total yards per game (349.8), 24th in rushing yards per game (123.8), 25th in first downs per game (20.4) and 30th on fourth-down percentage (65.38%).

Bradley’s defense ranked middle of the pack in areas like total yards per play (16th), passing yards per game (16th), red-zone percentage (18th) and goal-to-go percentage (16th).

Going into Year 3 in Bradley’s scheme, the Colts will need to add some depth to the secondary and some competition to the interior defensive tackle positions.

Regardless, it appears the Colts are sticking by Bradley one way or another for the upcoming season.

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