[IndyNorm]

Interesting that the author of that article makes a lot of similar observations that those of us who have been critical of Ballard have made:

When talking about Chris Ballard and the success he has had as a general manager, most will begin with the 2018 draft. Ballard moved back from pick No. 3 in a trade with the New York Jets and still acquired two All-Pro level players (Quenton Nelson and Shaquille Leonard).

Both players are tremendous and are key cogs of the Colts’ roster. Of course, building a roster around All-Pro level players was always a great place to start. That is — unless they play left guard and off-the-ball linebacker.

This began a key trend for Ballard- hitting home runs on positions that matter the least. For example, Jonathan Taylor is one of the best running backs in the league and yet even his dominance couldn’t lift the Colts to the playoffs in 2021. In 2020, the Colts gave up their first-round pick to acquire Deforrest Buckner and sign him to a mega-deal. Buckner is a game wrecker (make no doubt about it), but even as a top-five defensive tackle, he’s yet to have a double-digit sack season as a Colt.

Typically, around March, NFL media praises Ballard because he managed to acquire a quarterback for just a second or third-round pick or signing Phillip Rivers for next to nothing. While it does seem savvy to be able to gain a starting quarterbac for mid-level picks, you tend to get what you are paying for.

Moving on from Carson Wentz to the current version of Matt Ryan isn’t exactly something to celebrate. Additionally, the Colts continue to have holes at some of the most important spots on a roster: wide receiver, left tackle, edge rusher and corner. The Colts' roster is strongest where it matters least.