Tag: chris ballard

Colts see big upside in young pass rushers

Chris Ballard sees upside with Kemoko Turay and Ben Banogu.

The Indianapolis Colts pass rush saw an uptick in production thanks to the work of veteran Justin Houston, but the front office is just as excited for the progression of the young pass rushers in Kemoko Turay and Ben Banogu.

Both second-round picks in each of the last two drafts respectively, the Colts have optimism for the future outlook of these two pass rushers. Turay was on fire before suffering a season-ending injury while Banogu had some flashes here and there in a limited role.

But when looking at the outlook of the duo, general manager Chris Ballard has a lot of optimism with them.

“I think they have big upside. Losing Kemoko Turay was a big hit. I think you saw it. You saw it against the Chargers. I think you saw it against Kansas City. Neither one of those teams could block him. He was a fastball that we needed,” said Ballard on Thursday. “I thought he really took another step. You always see a pretty big step between Year 1 and Year 2. Sometimes it takes a little longer with pass rushers. He took the step in the right direction and he’s worked his butt off to get healthy.”

Turay really looked like he was primed for a big season in 2019. He recorded 1.5 sacks and five quarterback hits through four games before ending his season on the injured reserve list.

With Banogu, there wasn’t a whole lot of excitement from the TCU produce. He had a nice few rushes but failed to really carve out a role in the defense during the second half.

“Flashes from Ben, but need more. I think he’ll continue to develop. He has some of the same stuff Kemoko has,” Ballard said. “It’ll be fun to watch those two continue to develop.”

In 16 games, Banogu had 2.5 sacks and five quarterback hits. Though the Colts initially wanted to use him as a SAM backer, he played most of the season at defensive end.

The Colts pass rush was decent but inconsistent. The hope is the upside with Turay and the development of Banogu will come to fruition during the 2020 season to go alongside the veteran Houston.

Anthony Castonzo expected to make decision in ‘next two or three weeks’

Anthony Castonzo expected to make decision on retirement in the next few weeks.

While there is still a few months to go until free agency officially opens in the middle of March, the Indianapolis Colts like to get some of their housekeeping done early. For this offseason, that includes what the deal will be with veteran left tackle Anthony Castonzo.

The 31-year-old will be using this downtime to make a very crucial decision. With his contract expired, Castonzo told reporters following the season that he has to make a decision on whether he wants to keep playing for the Colts or hang up the spikes altogether.

General manager Chris Ballard said in his year-end press conference that that team will be in contact with Castonzo and that he should be making his decision over the next few weeks.

“We’ll see. Anthony and I will be in touch here over the next two or three weeks, and he’ll make a decision,” Ballard said Thursday.

Castonzo is coming off of his best season yet. As a leader on the offensive line, the former first-round pick put it all together during the 2019 season. He was among the league’s best pass protectors and was a consistent bully in the run game.

Ballard has continuously been impressed by Castonzo ever since the former arrived during the 2017 offseason.

“I hold Anthony Castonzo in high, high regard. It’s a shame that it’s the first time he’s even been voted as an alternate to the Pro Bowl,” said Ballard. “I thought, since I walked in the door, Anthony Castonzo has played at a really high level at left tackle. I can’t believe people are just now starting to recognize it.”

If Castonzo does decide to retire, that would leave the Colts with a massive hole on the left side of the offensive line and a need that likely shoots to the top of the priority list this offseason.

If that happens, Ballard’s job becomes a lot more difficult.

“I know this. Anthony loves the Indianapolis Colts, he loves being here, so we’ll see what decision he makes, and look, if he decides to retire, then it’s our job to find an answer.”

Colts’ Chris Ballard: ‘Jury is still out’ on QB Jacoby Brissett

Chris Ballard won’t commit to Jacoby Brissett long-term.

The Indianapolis Colts have an interesting offseason coming up and many are wondering if they will add to the quarterback room or stick with Jacoby Brissett under center for the 2020 season.

As the Colts evaluate the roster, general manager Chris Ballard told reporters in his end-of-the-year press conference that they are still evaluating Brissett and the future of the position.

Ballard did say that they believe Brissett will be the starter when Week 1 comes around but he wouldn’t fully commit to that. This likely leaves open the opportunity to draft a quarterback if Ballard feels it is the right move.

Brissett started the season on a high note throwing 14 touchdown passes through the first six games but finished the season with four touchdown passes after that.

The Colts have made it clear they love the leadership qualities that Brissett brings, but there is still some evaluation that needs to take place in terms of whether he is the future or not.

There is still a chance the Colts address the quarterback position in the draft, but it seems for now they are sticking with Brissett under center.

Colts expected to have $93.4M in salary cap space

Colts have the second-most cap space.

The Indianapolis Colts will once again find themselves among the league leaders in salary cap space when the new league year begins in the middle of March.

Though the estimations aren’t exact because the league is yet to announce what the salary cap is, the Colts are expected to have over $93.4 million in salary cap space based on a $200 million cap. That’s good for second-most in the NFL behind the Miami Dolphins ($98.3 million), per Over The Cap.

The Colts have several needs to address this offseason even with the depth of the roster growing stronger. Adding to the defensive line and wide receiver room is likely on the docket for general manager Chris Ballard.

There are a few intriguing names that the Colts should be willing to pay up for. Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper are among those players should they hit the market.

It isn’t a secret that Ballard prefers to build the bulk of the roster through the draft. That has also caused him to stay relatively frugal when it comes to spending big on a free agent.

While the Colts roster is getting deeper with talent, they need to begin adding some top-end performers, especially when it comes to the wide receiver and cornerback room.

The Colts can’t begin negotiating with other free agents until March 16, which is officially the start date of the legal tampering period.

It will be an interesting offseason for the Colts, but they will have no shortage of resources if Ballard decides to open the check book.

Colts listed among non-playoff teams with bright future

Colts still have a bright future.

When it was all said and done, the Indianapolis Colts missed out on the playoffs thanks to an epic second-half collapse during the 2019 regular season. Yet, there is still plenty of optimism for the future.

For the fourth time in the last five years, the Colts were eliminated from postseason contention before the season was over. Despite starting 5-2, the Colts would drop their final seven of nine games to close out the campaign in third place.

Even though the end of the season was extremely difficult to watch, Touchdown Wire listed the Colts as a non-playoff team that could make some noise in 2020.

The Colts just ran out of gas. They need to go and find a quarterback. Jacoby Brissett is just fine, but just fine isn’t good enough for an extremely deep and talented roster.

The Colts are well-coached. They were just very boring this year because that’s what they had to do to win games. The hope would be that Indy adds some competition at quarterback, stays healthy at wide receiver, and improves slightly on defense. The Colts are right there.

This is a big offseason for the Colts. General manager Chris Ballard is entering his fourth offseason leading the front office and has some big decisions to make.

Will they draft a quarterback? Can they find top-end talent at wide receiver? Can they find improvements for the pass rush and secondary? All of these questions are what Ballard faces in what might be his most crucial offseason yet.

Even with the many question marks, the Colts have assembled a team with talent and depth at several positions.

Success isn’t too far away from the Colts. We saw that at times during the 2019 season. But some changes are likely needed if they want to get back into the postseason.

Should Colts add John Dorsey to the front office?

Could Chris Ballard bring in an old friend?

The Cleveland Browns made some waves Tuesday when they announced the firing of John Dorsey as the general manager. Now that he’s without a job, will Chris Ballard bring him into the front office?

Ever since he took over the front office for the Colts at the beginning of 2017, Ballard has often referenced Dorsey as one of his closest friends in the business. Dorsey helped Ballard rise to prominence enough for him to take the Colts job and now Ballard might be able to return the favor.

Both Ballard and Dorsey spent the same amount of time with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2013–2016. Dorsey was the general manager while Ballard held two roles: director of player personnel (2013–2014) and director of football operations (2015–2016).

Though Dorsey and the Browns ownership may have butted heads, he would be an intriguing addition to the Colts front office. Even if it is as a consultant and not necessarily a full-time gig, Dorsey’s eye for talent and trustworthiness with Ballard could bring about some benefit for the organization.

Though the Browns flopped incredibly in 2019, Dorsey was the one to draft Baker Mayfield. He also orchestrated the trades for Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. while helping build a foundation of talent in Cleveland.

The Colts lost one of Ballard’s trusted advisors during the offseason when Rex Hogan joined the New York Jets as their assistant general manager. He previously held the role of vice president of player personnel. That could be high enough on the totem pole for Dorsey to join the front office full-time if he wants to.

It isn’t clear what the future holds for Dorsey, but it would be wise for Ballard to reach out and see if his former superior wants to join the front office.