Colts' Free Agency Earns High Praise

Free agency for the Indianapolis Colts has been a great success so far.

Nov 10, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Camryn Bynum (24) celebrates the win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images / Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts have fought hard during the early stages of the offseason to add much-needed talent in areas of the roster where voids were present. The most visible were at cornerback and safety on the defense, which Chris Ballard has filled with immensely talented players.

Cornerback Charvarius Ward and Camryn Bynum will change the mold of Lou Anarumo's secondary and bring more consistency to a pass defense that lacked it in 2024. CBS Sports recently graded the free agency for all 32 teams, and the Colts finished strong in the ranks.

Jordan Dajani gave Indianapolis a strong B+ and with good reason despite key departures.

"I'm actually a fan of what the Colts have done in free agency. The secondary absolutely had to be upgraded, and Camryn Bynum, plus Charvarius Ward do that immediately. Daniel Jones is an interesting addition to the quarterback room, but after watching Sam Darnold resurrect his career, let's reserve judgment on Danny Dimes."

Ward brings All-Pro, Pro Bowl, and Super Bowl pedigree to cornerback, while Bynum has seemingly improved every one of his four NFL seasons. As for Daniel Jones, he was signed to give the utmost competition to Anthony Richardson after a massive regression in 2024.

Dajani continued.

"The Colts' losses of Ryan Kelly and Will Fries automatically make the offensive line a point of emphasis in the draft, and I'd like to see the Colts draft a tight end as well."

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Losing four-time Pro Bowler Ryan Kelly and young talent Will Fries is tough. Kelly had the center position on lock for nine seasons and Fries was hitting a serious stride, showing out as one of the best guards in football during his short five-game 2024 campaign.

Tanor Bortolini (center) and Matt Goncalves (tackle) figure to step into those respective roles to fill the gap left behind by two key players now with the Minnesota Vikings. Finally, at tight end, the Colts desperately need more talent in that room.

After a lackluster performance from the group in 2024 that saw four top names not eclipse 40 catches as a unit, look for Indy to possibly use their first-round selection on players like Penn State's Tyler Warren or Michigan's Colston Loveland.

Currently, Drew Ogletree, Will Mallory, and Jelani Woods occupy the position group; none have shown they can lead it into 2025 yet.

The Colts are at a crossroads of the franchise's future and are showing they know that. Ballard is going against the grain as a general manager from what he typically sees as a successful approach to free agency, so it's encouraging to witness that.

However, more is still needed to take this team over the hump and push for an AFC South crown while also securing a playoff spot for the first time since 2020. Look for Ballard to continue pushing harder for sure-fire talents as the NFL draft starts in a month.

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