Kenny Moore II said it best on Monday:
“It’s not a f—king drill,” the Indianapolis Colts cornerback shared via X.
What he meant was this: Colts general manager Chris Ballard wasn’t messing around on the first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period. While the first day of free agency isn’t typically a day the Colts GM likes to participate in, he was a changed man Monday.
And that is exactly what he promised. Ballard vowed he would operate differently in Year 9 of his tenure, and so far, he’s kept his word. Rather than sitting by the side of the free-agent pool, Ballard jumped right in and made a pair of splashes.
Former Vikings safety Camryn Bynum and ex-49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward are headed to Indy. Neither were second-tier free agents. Neither came at discounts. They’re each proven difference-makers with winning backgrounds whom Ballard rewarded with huge contracts to ensure they’d join his franchise. Those moves, which Ballard has typically avoided in the past, speak volumes to what appears to be a change of philosophy.
Here’s what felt different on Monday and why it matters.
Ballard fulfills promise
Let’s start with a trivia question: Before Monday, during Ballard’s nine-year tenure, what’s the most amount of total money he’s ever spent on an outside free agent? Bonus points if you can name the player!
A few of you may already know the answer if you read my recent story about Ballard’s free agency history. But for those who are unfamiliar, the answer is shocking. It’s defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, who signed a three-year, $27 million deal with the Colts in 2017, Ballard’s first year as Indy’s GM. He hadn’t spent that much on an outsider since, with Monday marking the first time he cleared the $30 million threshold. And not only did he surpass it, he smashed it. Twice.
First came Bynum, who agreed to a four-year, $60 million deal, per a league source, to become the team’s new starting free safety. Then Ballard went back for seconds, adding Ward on a three-year, $60 million deal with $35 million guaranteed to take over as one of the team’s starting outside cornerbacks, according to a league source.
“Don’t expect, ‘Hey, here’s the Colts, and they just spent $400 million on all these different players,’” Ballard warned during his appearance on 107.5 The Fan at the NFL Scouting Combine.
But what about $120 million on two players?
“There’s been times when I wish I would’ve done just a hair more to get a couple players that we were heavily involved with in free agency,” Ballard continued. “Maybe if I would’ve pushed a little bit more financially it would’ve (sealed the deal). I think that’s probably the biggest difference, like, sometimes you just gotta finish it.”
That’s exactly what he did.
Since the end of a disappointing 2024 season, Ballard has hinted that his approach to free agency would be different, and the contrast between last year and this year could not be clearer. Aside from retaining in-house free agents, the Colts’ biggest free agent acquisitions in 2024 were two backups: QB Joe Flacco and defensive tackle Raekwon Davis. Neither one was expected to move the needle, and neither one did.
Bynum and Ward will be a different story. These aren’t bargain-bin players who were discarded by other franchises. They’re highly coveted defensive backs, in the middle of their primes, whom Ballard brought to Indianapolis because he believes they’ll directly affect winning. Two months ago, he claimed his team wasn’t “close” to being a serious contender. Two weeks ago, he claimed he’d do everything in his power to change that.
This isn’t everything, but it is as strong of a start as a Colts fan would have dared to hope for.
“As hardheaded as I am … I’ve looked deeply (at) things I need to change and do, and the proof comes with your actions over time,” Ballard said at the end of the season. “That’s what we’re going to do.”
Defense gets significant upgrades
Gus Bradley wasn’t oblivious.
His defense was deteriorating toward the end of the 2024 season, and its performance against the Giants was, ultimately, the nail in the coffin. The Colts surrendered 389 yards of total offense and made journeyman QB Drew Lock look like a first-ballot Hall of Famer. After that embarrassing loss, which eliminated Indianapolis from playoff contention, the now-former Colts DC was asked if he had the right players to execute his style of defense.
“Whether they’re the best player or the worst player, our job is to make sure each player performs up to their best capabilities,” Bradley said. “ … There’s no leg for me to stand on because I just don’t think we did a good enough job as coaches to get the most out of our players.”
It was kind of Bradley to take the blame, but the truth is that for as bad as the coaching may have been, he never received the kind of personnel upgrades in three years that new DC Lou Anarumo has received in a matter of months. At the end of the 2023 season, Ballard said it was unfair to point the finger at Bradley because the GM didn’t give him enough talent to work with. Then, Ballard promptly ignored the team’s obvious needs at safety and cornerback, and the Colts defense got carved up again in 2024.
Who could have predicted that?
The Colts ended up parting ways with Bradley in January, and while it’s fair to want a change in DC, it’s also fair to question how much Ballard’s frugal team-building approach affected Bradley’s tenure. Ballard appears to have changed course entirely to fully embrace Anarumo’s multifaceted schemes that ask a lot of the secondary. When Anarumo’s units were at the peak of their powers in Cincinnati and powering the team to back-to-back AFC Championship Games during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, it was largely because they had veteran safety Jessie Bates III anchoring the back end.
“He’s a problem solver,” Anarumo said of his former player. “He can go get the ball. He’s a guy who does a lot of — he checks a lot of boxes. Smart, good tackler, great ball skills, communicates.”
You know who else that sounds like? Bynum, the 26-year-old safety who’s spent the past two years thriving in Vikings DC Brian Flores’ varied schemes. Since becoming a full-time starter in 2022, Bynum has started all 51 regular-season games for the Vikings and played more than 1,000 snaps each of the past three years. He isn’t the same caliber of player as Bates, who is a two-time second-team All-Pro, but his experience and production — five interceptions and 19 passes defensed combined over the past two years — will give Anarumo a jump-start on revamping the defense.
Ward will be a catalyst, as well. The 28-year-old is coming off the hardest season of his career after missing games due to knee and hamstring issues, as well as taking a leave of absence following the death of his 1-year-old daughter, Amani Joy, in October.
“You know, I’ve got a lot of trauma in California,” Ward said at the end of the season. “There were great times, but the worst thing that’s happened to me — that’s probably ever gonna happen to me, knock on wood — happened in California. It just brings back bad memories.”
Ward was limited to 12 games and registered seven pass breakups in 2024. But before the injuries and personal tragedy, he was one of the most dominant outside cornerbacks in the NFL. The Colts believe that player is still inside him. Ward delivered a breakout year in 2023 with career highs of five interceptions and a staggering 23 passes defensed — the most ever for a franchise that once featured Hall of Fame defensive backs Deion Sanders and Ronnie Lott.
Ward and Bynum won’t fix the Colts defense all on their own, but they’ll certainly elevate the roster under Anarumo and bring a winning pedigree Indianapolis has lacked amid a four-year playoff drought.
Unfinished business
Next up on the Colts’ to-do list? Making decisions on starting right guard Will Fries and a to-be-determined QB to serve as competition for Anthony Richardson. After Indianapolis’ big spending on the first day of free agency, it may not be able to afford Fries, who’s projected to land a four-year, $56.5 million deal, per Spotrac. If he’s heading out the door, then what’s plan B at right guard?
Ballard has also claimed he wants to add a “real” challenger at QB. Daniel Jones is still available, and with several teams having already snapped up their quarterbacks, could his next stop be in Indy?
We’ll likely find out later this week, but for now, Ballard has earned a bit of trust among a fan base that was surprised by his early aggression.
“Let him cook!” Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said Monday via X as he praised his GM.
But one good day in the kitchen isn’t enough to satisfy the taste buds of this hungry fan base. Ballard must keep cooking … like his job security depends on it.
(Photos of Charvarius Ward and Camryn Bynum: Mark J. Rebilas and Dan Powers / Imagn Images)
