When it comes to free agency, the Indianapolis Colts have some serious needs to address - and many of them are on defense. General manager Chris Ballard will need to change up his stingy approach to free agents, and actually do what he's promised to do: spend the money to get experienced players with the talent and skill to help lift Indianapolis out of mediocrity.
One of the biggest needs the Colts have is on the secondary, which the 2024 season made appallingly clear. The players the Colts did have were rarely healthy, indicating just how weak the depth is in that area, and even when they were healthy, they struggled to stop the run. The Colts can, and should, draft some new talent to address this problem, but Ballard should bring in some veterans to help guide the defense, too.
Enter Charvarius Ward.
Ward is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, and he's set to be a free agent in March. Currently playing for the 49ers, Ward has also made it clear that he is not interested in staying in San Francisco; he's ready to move on, and there are undoubtedly going to be many teams interested in signing him. He's a Super Bowl champion, been selected to the Pro Bowl, and was Second Team All-Pro in 2023. He could definitely do a lot to help the struggling Colts defense.
Whatever team I’m on next year gone get the best version of ME. I’m HUNGRY.
— Charvarius Ward (@itslilmooney) February 4, 2025
It doesn't appear that Ward is unhappy with the 49ers as a team; he told ESPN in January that, after losing his one-year-old daughter, he has been struggling with PTSD and wants a fresh start.
"I've got a lot of trauma in California," he said. "I had a lot of great times, but the worst thing that's ever happened to me, that's probably going to ever happen to me -- knock on wood -- happened in California. It can just bring up bad memories. Every time I get on a plane and come back to California, Santa Clara, San Jose, and show up here, it just brings up bad memories.
"I go through that every day. I go home every night by myself because my girl, she doesn't want to come back to California because of what happened. So, it is hard being alone, and she's my strength right now. I need her, and so her not being able to be around me if I'm in California, it'd be tough."
Charvarius Ward didn't rule out a return to the 49ers, but says he's suffering from PTSD following the death of his 1-year-old daughter — and some of it is location-based.
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) January 6, 2025
"I'll be throwing up, waking up in the middle of the night, sweating," Ward said. "I got a lot of trauma in… pic.twitter.com/uz4Q2TEuhp
Losing his daughter midseason affected his play, but he's since welcomed a son, Charvarius Jr., and said he is "the most motivated I've ever been" when it comes to 2025. And he's looking for a positive environment; could Indianapolis be the place he needs to be?
"I just want to go somewhere where I'm wanted and where I'm loved," he told ESPN. "I feel like that's what I need right now, a lot of love."
Ballard should take note, and prove that he's learned his lesson from his past free agency mistakes.