How does the Colts front office compare across the league?
A recent ranking of NFL front offices shows how the decision-makers for the Indianapolis Colts stack up against the rest of the league.
This offseason has been another good one for the Indianapolis Colts. They were able to make beneficial trades, and bargain signings, and brought in another strong draft class. All these things have become commonplace in Indianapolis and they’re a reason why Chris Ballard is often recognized as one of the best general managers in the NFL.
But where does Ballard and Indy’s front office really rank? The Colts aren’t the only team during good business in the NFL, and there’s definitely room for improvement, so how do they stack up against the rest of the league’s front offices?
Dallas Robinson from Pro Football Network took on the task of ranking all 32 NFL front offices. Robinson ranked the Colts just outside the top 10 at No. 11.
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Colts ranked 11th-best front office in the NFL
To no surprise, Robinson applauded Ballard’s ability to draft stars, highlighting players like Darius Leonard, Quenton Nelson, and Jonathan Taylor. The Colts’ habit of bringing in players on affordable deals and pulling off team-friendly trades was also acknowledged.
Something else that Indianapolis has been really good at that wasn’t included is Draft day trades. Ballard and the team have mastered getting the best value when moving around picks during NFL Draft weekend.
While Robinson had high praise for the Colts, there was also an explanation of what Indy could do better to move up in the rankings. Robinson concluded by saying, “If anything, Ballard will need to be more aggressive in free agency to maximize the last few years of Ryan’s career.”
That has consistently been the only real critique for the Colts during the Chris Ballard era. Ballard preaches patience, and Indy typically comes out of the summer alright, but Indianapolis hasn’t been a serious contender for a Super Bowl in quite a few years. That means that the front office isn’t during all that’s necessary to compete.
While the instability at quarterback is a big reason why, Indy refusing to aggressively pursue free agents that could make a massive difference may also have slowed the team from returning to a Super Bowl-caliber team.
While Chris Ballard has done a good job leading Indy’s front office over the last six years, the next step for the team to take is to be a bit more aggressive in free agency.
