Ranking the best moves by Chris Ballard during 2022 offseason

This offseason brought on a lot of changes for the Indianapolis Colts as the team enters the most crucial part of the Chris Ballard regime.

The general manager had to make some strategic moves on the chessboard so he can set up his roster for a potential playoff run. Only time will tell if the decisions that were made will pay off for the 2022 season but for now, we can at least take a look at the best moves that Chris Ballard made over the last four months:

Trading Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders

The first domino to fall for the Colts’ offseason was the trade of Carson Wentz after just one year after trading a first-round pick to acquire him. You have to commend Chris Ballard for admitting a mistake and not being stubborn enough to keep Wentz just one more season to see if it can work itself out.

Despite having to eat giving up the first-round pick for just one season of production, Chris Ballard was able to recoup draft capital and cap space for Wentz.

Trade details:

Indianapolis sent: Wentz, a 2022 second-round pick, (No. 49) and a 2022 seventh-round pick (No. 240)

Washington sent: 2022 second-round pick (No. 42, traded back to No. 53, ended up with Alec Pierce), a 2022 third-round pick (No. 73 — Jelani Woods), and a conditional 2023 third-round pick (can turn into a second-round pick if Wentz plays 70% of snaps in 2022)

Only the future will tell if the players selected will end up providing value for the trade but the most important detail that Chris Ballard was able to win in the present was getting extra cap space. It was much reported that the Colts were willing to cut Carson Wentz and eat the $15 million in dead money which would’ve only given Indianapolis $13.3 million in cap space. Instead, the Commanders agreed to take on the entire $28.3 million that Wentz was owed for the 2022 season.

That part of the trade is why I believe it was the best move by Ballard and it did help lead to quality additions to the roster in the months to follow.

Trading for Matt Ryan

When the Colts traded away Carson Wentz, it left an obvious hole at the most important position in football. As Chris Ballard did his typical patient and methodical approach to free agency, the Atlanta Falcons found themselves deep into the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes. This created an opportunity for Ballard to go acquire a veteran quarterback to get as his new quarterback in Matt Ryan.

Even though the Falcons didn’t end up with Watson, the public courting of him led to Ryan no longer feeling welcome in Atlanta. Ballard was able to get Matty Ice for just a 2022 third-round pick. Which wasn’t even the highest third-round pick that Indianapolis had available at the time.

Ballard also was able to get Ryan to restructure his contract which helped save the team six million in cap space. For not having a sure answer as the replacement, Ballard was able to find a quarterback that can help the Colts win now and was able to save money in the process for the rest of the roster.

Trading Rock Ya-Sin for Yannick Ngakoue

It’s rare to see a player swap in the NFL. That is exactly what the Colts and Las Vegas Raiders did this offseason. Chris Ballard decided to trade one of his former second-round picks, Rock Ya-Sin, for Yannick Ngakoue. This move addressed the most important position on the defensive side of the ball and will hopefully end the pass rush woes that Indianapolis has had over the recent years.

The trade did create a hole at cornerback at that time but it was the logical decision because of the importance of the position to the scheme that new defensive coordinator, Gus Bradley will be running. Ya-Sin can still grow to be a great corner in the NFL but he is coming off one strong season out of his three in the league. Ngakoue has had multiple productive seasons throughout his career.

This move can help take the Colts’ defense to the next level and possibly form a top rush tandem with Kwity Paye.

Signing Stephon Gilmore

As the recent NFL draft was inching closer for the Colts, cornerback was arguably their biggest need for the roster. There were a number of veterans that were on the market but one of the more notable names was the former Defensive Player of the Year. Chris Ballard had Stephon Gilmore come in for a workout so he can show the team that his recent injuries were behind him. Just a couple of days later, Indianapolis was signing Gilmore to a two-year contract.

If Gilmore is able to play at a level that is just below his award-winning season in 2019, then this was an upgrade move by having him replace Rock Ya-Sin’s spot in the lineup. The move added a leader in the secondary that can help out Kenny Moore II create plays this season. Finding a player like that deep into the offseason was a big add for Ballard.

The Rest

When Jim Irsay said the Colts were ‘all chips in’, the four moves listed certainly fit that bill. But they weren’t the only ones that Chris Ballard did over the course of the last few months. Here is the rest of what he did:

5. Re-Sign Mo Alie-Cox

6. Sign Rodney McLeod

7. Sign Nick Foles

8. Re-Sign Zaire Franklin

9. Re-Sign Matt Pryor

10. Sign Brandon Facyson

11. Re-Sign Tyquan Lewis

12. Sign Phillip Lindsay

13. Sign Dennis Kelly

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