Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard obviously had a plan in free agency: Re-sign quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce, trade wideout Michael Pittman and linebacker Zaire Franklin, and the rest can be whatever. That seems to be especially true defensively.
Indy's biggest signing on that side of the ball is edge rusher Arden Key, who has consistently been meh. Otherwise, Ballard seems to be signing players to help more on special teams. That is the hope anyway, the GM is risking that a lot of unproven veterans will somehow make an impact in the secondary.
He might even be thinking, "If I sign enough safeties, one of them is bound to turn out to be good, right?" It's a very Chris Ballard-like gamble.
Chris Ballard continues to sign underwhelming defensive players for the Indianapolis Colts
On Friday, two days after the start of official free agency, Ballard signed two more of that ilk. One is former Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens, and the other is former Dallas Cowboys safety Juanyeh Thomas. Both have mostly been backups, but hey! Both can play special teams.
On any given Sunday in the fall, Indianapolis might play four people on defense, a solid 11 on offense, and 356 players on special teams. (One can break the rules in the third phase of the game, maybe?)
Owens began his career with AFC South rivals, the Houston Texans, and has since played for the Green Bay Packers and Bears. He started every game as the free safety for Houston in 2022 and was awful. His quarterback rating allowed was 128.5, and he allowed 16.9 yards per completion.
He managed to start 11 games for the Packers in 2023, but was hardly better. His quarterback rating allowed was a terrible 118.2. In the last two years combined, he has started five games.
If Chris Ballard believes Owens can come to the Colts and take the place of Nick Cross, that should be a fireable offense, and Ballard should be asked to gather his belongings and leave his office immediately. The same would be true if Ballard thinks Juanyeh Thomas can start, too, though.
The former Cowboys player spent three seasons in Dallas and started four games. Three came in 2025 when Thomas allowed a passer rating of 156.2. That is nearly perfect for the opposing quarterback. He played in only three games.
Ultimately, the Indianapolis Colts are hoping for better health in 2026. Should Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward not miss many games, they, along with safety Cam Bynum, should form a solid defensive back group. If anyone gets hurt, however, Indy had better outscore most other teams, or there will be problems.