Evaluating Chris Ballard’s Seven Seasons As Colts GM

Source: Justin Casterline / Getty

INDIANAPOLIS – An 8^th year for Chris Ballard was more of the same for the Colts general manager.

In Ballard’s 8 seasons, the Colts have compiled a record of 62-69-1. They’ve made 2 playoff appearances, won 1 postseason game and captured 0 division titles.

Let’s examine the 8^th year of Ballard as Colts general manager, in our annual evaluation series:

Wins

-Some Key Year 3 Growth: Heading into 2022, the Colts faced critical third seasons for Alec Pierce and Nick Cross. Pierce definitely took a strong step forward. Cross showed some positive growth, Hitting on premium draft picks is always a vital part of a GM’s building process, especially one that is so hesitant about using other avenues to bolster a roster. Pierce and Cross are on a nice path heading into contract years.

-Offensive Line Torch Passing? This might be a tad premature, but I do think the offensive line deserves a mention here. Bernhard Raimann and Quenton Nelson continue to be sound, to very good, on the left side of the ball. But the unit had to rely on rookies Tanor Bortolini (4^th round), Dalton Tucker (undrafted) and Matt Goncalves (3^rd round) to start a total of 20 games. And the results, especially from Bortolini and Goncalves, showed some hope that the torches could be passed to them, at center and right tackle without a massive amount of worry.

Losses/To Be Determined

-Missed On Run It Back: The stubbornness of Chris Ballard led to him digging his feet in to run it back with all 22 starters returning from 2023. That’s rather unheardof. and the results were not what Ballard was thinking, leading to him regretting that decision at the end of this past season. Competition is such a root belief for so many roster builders, yet Ballard neglected that, and it was costly.

-Defense Failing: Remember, the defensive plan has been a huge desire, focus and investment from Chris Ballard. And yet the results have led to a defense ranking 29^th, 28^th, 24^th in points allowed the last three seasons, and the letting go of Gus Bradley. Young, impactful defenders are lacking as the defense begins to turnover a bit in personnel.

-Resume Still Lacking: As we pointed out above, the Chris Ballard resume is one of the driest you’ll see for an NFL GM through 8 seasons: 62-69-1 record, 2 playoff appearances, 1 playoff win, 0 division titles. In 2024, the Colts were eliminated from the AFC’s worst division with 3 weeks to go in the regular season. And eliminated from playoff content before Week 18. The Colts are in their worst playoff drought in 30 years. What is Ballard’s greatest achievement as GM? That question shouldn’t have such a difficult answer to find 8 years into a regime.