Ask Chris Ballard whether he believes his Indianapolis Colts roster is up to par and the team’s general manager will invariably tell you it’s not good enough.
That conversation will assuredly lead to a related one, where Ballard predictably tells you he’s always looking for talent. In free agency (kind of; more on that later), in the draft and via trades.
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And this is when he’ll likely recite one of his oft-repeated quotes:
“Player acquisition is 365 days a year.”
Well, one of those days – Sunday – is fast approaching.
That’s when more than 1,100 players currently on NFL rosters will suddenly find themselves on the waiver wire. With final roster cuts due Sunday, each NFL team will prune its roster from 90 to 53 men in a massive purge of players.
And this is when Ballard tends to go to work.
The Colts have been one of the NFL’s most active teams in claiming players off waivers. The Colts have claimed 15 players since Ballard’s arrival in Indianapolis in Feb. 2017. That puts the Colts on par with teams like the Cleveland Browns, who have claimed 18 players in the same span. The Browns, remember, have a combined 1-31 record during the past two seasons and have been undergoing a major overhaul of their roster. For more context, teams like the Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals have claimed just two players during that same period.
After last year’s final roster cuts, the Colts claimed, in one fell swoop, five players who were waived at the cut deadline. Two of them, Pierre Desir and Kenny Moore II, started games in 2017.
This year, the number of claims figures to increase.
There are several factors at play, but none bigger than this: The Colts are perfectly positioned to be aggressive on the waiver wire. They sit No. 3 in the waiver priority list, meaning they get the third crack at any player waived on Saturday (players are available on waivers for 24 hours). The pecking order, until Week 4 of the regular season, mirrors that year’s draft order. Before trading down to No. 6 overall, the Colts held the third overall choice in this year’s draft.
That means that unless the Browns (No. 1) or New York Giants (No. 2) make a claim on a given player, the Colts will be awarded any player they place a claim on. Consider this fact: The Colts plucked five players after final cuts last year despite being 15th on the waiver-wire priority list. Just imagine what they might do when they have the luxury of sitting at No. 3.
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Another factor is the Colts’ apparent lack of depth. There have been surprisingly few position battles during training camp and the preseason. That’s indicative of a team short on depth. The only units where there have been legitimate contests playing out have been right tackle, defensive line and, to an extent, cornerback. For a team that lacks veteran talent and has few players signed to massive contracts, it certainly feels like there should be more competition.
If Ballard agrees (hint: he does), it’s just further motivation to look to the waiver wire to augment the depth. The idea isn’t necessarily to find immediate starters. What you’re generally looking for are other team’s backups who are better than your own.
Then there’s the reality that the Colts have been mostly averse to diving deep into free agency. With the regular season about to commence, the Colts still have $50.9 million in salary-cap space at their disposal. It’s a result of Ballard’s philosophy; he maintains that the Colts will tread lightly in free agency during this rebuild until they have a stronger foundation.
“You’re never one player away, ever,” he said last year. “You just keep building and adding pieces.”
It’s an approach that draws a variety of reactions from fans, some of whom prefer a more assertive approach. That’s just not Ballard’s way.
But with only a limited number of draft picks and only so many viable contributors on the street this time of year, Ballard must find other avenues to acquire talent if he’s going to adhere to this principle. And that’s why the waiver wire has become such a common tool for him.
At least four players among the Colts’ final 53 figure to be players the team claimed: Desir, Moore, tight end Ross Travis and, possibly, receiver Zach Pascal. Among those on the bubble is former Kansas City defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches.
And, now, it’s a virtual guarantee others will join the list this weekend.
(Top photo of Ballard: Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
