Indianapolis Colts' Offseason Grade Revealed

These signings can be explained for only one reason: Ballard is fighting for his job. Since he was brought into the front office in 2017, the Colts have made just two postseason appearances. The last time the Colts got there was 2020, when Philip Rivers ended his career in Indy.

If Ballard wants to keep his role, the Colts need to find some success. After numerous signings and a draft haul that included tight end Tyler Warren and defensive end JT Tuimoloau, the Colts could finally make their return to playoff football.

Pro Football Focus analyst Trevor Sikkema handed the Colts a B+ grade for their offseason, the highest grade of any team in the AFC South.

"The Colts lost offensive linemen Ryan Kelly and Will Fries in free agency, which is a concern after they earned 67.0 and 86.9 PFF overall grades, respectively, in 2024," Sikkema wrote. "Indianapolis does have Matt Goncalves and Tanor Bortolini in the farm system, who earned 65.9 and 65.1 PFF overall grades in 2024, respectively. The front office seems comfortable with those guys taking over."

"The Colts made big splashes in the secondary, an area of concern, signing Cam Bynum and Charvarius Ward. They also had a very solid draft class. Quarterback is still a question mark, but they weren’t realistically going to do much more than bring in competition for Anthony Richardson via Daniel Jones and Riley Leonard."

As Sikkema mentioned, the Colts lost two starting linemen in Ryan Kelly and Will Fries, something that would usually be a sign of imminent disaster. Fortunately, Ballard prepared for their departures last offseason when he brought in Tanor Bortolini and Matt Goncalves in the third and fourth rounds of the NFL draft.

Bortolini and Goncalves each earned starts last season, giving them enough experience to prepare for the upcoming year. If they can protect the eventual starter well enough, the Colts should end with a winning record.

The question then becomes: Who is the starter? Anthony Richardson has earned the nod in the last two seasons, but has dealt with injury and accuracy issues through his 15 starts. Daniel Jones was signed as a competitor for the starting job, but his stats aren't pretty either.

Considering the front office's connection to Richardson, he's the likely frontrunner. If he can clean up his short and medium passes, the Colts could find consistent offensive success through the air and on the ground.

Regardless of who is starting, the Colts will need to play better as a team. Last season was filled with disappointing performances on both sides of the ball. Nobody was the sole cause of a missed postseason because nearly everyone had things to clean up.

If the new signings and rookies can make an instant impact, watch out for the Colts as a contender to walk home with the AFC South crown for the first time in a decade.

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