Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard needs to work on his sales technique. Or maybe he just needs to chase more free agents this summer who can help the team win games. Either way, fans of Indy keep watching as good veterans sign with other teams while the Colts get nothing.
What makes the matter worse is that many of the free agents signing elsewhere would fit a glaring need that Indianapolis has. Wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Stefon Diggs recently signed with the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Commanders, respectively, and each would be the WR2 or WR3 for the Colts.
After wideouts Alec Pierce and Josh Downs, Indy's wide receiver group is iffy at best. Plus, Pierce has never had as many as 50 catches in a season. The team is taking a risk that he can make a huge leap in that aspect after re-signing him for four years and as much as $116 million. Signing Samuel or Diggs would have been great insurance if Pierce can't meet the new lofty expectations put on him.
Chris Ballard watches as other teams making important moves while the Indianapolis Colts do nothing
The Colts also need a proven edge rusher to help out rising star Laiatu Latu. Ballard did sign Arden Key and Micheal Clemons in free agency, but both have low ceilings. Had Indy signed someone like Jadeveon Clowney, who recently signed with AFC South rival the Houston Texans, that would be a great upgrade for the defense.
Reasons can be applied for none of those players signing with Indianapolis, of course. Clowney previously played for the Texans, and he has a home in Houston. Samuel used to play for the 49ers. Diggs going to the Commanders is harder to explain.
What Chris Ballard did this past offseason and has done in training camp isn't to make the team better, but just to keep around good players who were already on the roster.
Pierce, quarterback Daniel Jones, and running back Jonathan Taylor were either re-signed or extended, but the team already had them, so they aren't making the team better. At best, retaining those players allows the team's best moments to hopefully be more consistent.
The issue is that Pierce has never played on a playoff team, and Taylor has only once. Their success doesn't mean overall team success.
Other than the draft class, fans cannot point to any player that was added this offseason as a massive upgrade at any position. The hope is that players like Key and Clemons can have their best season in 2026, but that's a gamble.
The Texans, however, have actively made moves to improve the team that reached the Divisional Round of the playoffs last year. One move was adding longtime starter for the Indianapolis Colts at right tackle, Braden Smith, in free agency. Houston also traded for running back David Montgomery as well as signing Clowney, among other moves.
Houston is trying to get better. Chris Ballard is trying to keep the Colts the same. He needed to do a better job of acquiring external talent, and that he didn't could come back to haunt Indy.
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