Chris Ballard recently spoke to the media about his approach and it gave a bit of insight into the lessons learned with the Chiefs.
For the last four years, Chris Ballard occupied a key spot in Arrowhead Stadium. Whether he was serving as the Director of Player Personnel or Director of Football Operations, Ballard was an insider and valuable voice in a front office that, under general manager John Dorsey’s leadership, has helped to create arguably the deepest overall roster in the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs have impact performers at nearly every position, and Dorsey’s drafting acumen has the Chiefs competitive from top to bottom.
It wasn’t a surprise this offseason to see the Indianapolis Colts indicate an interest in bringing Ballard aboard. They certainly weren’t the first team, but unlike many franchises looking for a new general manager, the Colts offered a rare gem that most potential GMs would love to have: a franchise quarterback. For Ballard, the Colts represented an intriguing scenario where the hardest job was already done. He just needed to construct a roster around the talents of Andrew Luck.
So far, the Colts have been as busy as any other NFL team in free agency, and it’s certainly been the most frenzied for the Colts in years. Ballard has signed 10 outside free agents along with releasing and re-signing others. After the team’s recent run of signings, Ballard took some time to explain his approach to his first offseason in Indy. In doing so, he opened up about something that became rooted during his years in Kansas City (and maybe even before that in Chicago).
"“I’ve repeatedly said this and I just don’t know any other way, everywhere I’ve been we try to get the best 90 men we can get. Let’s get the best 90-man roster. There’s no such thing as a camp body. No. If they are in camp, we think they have something to make our team.”"
While this might seem obvious for any NFL team, the reality is that it’s not. The Chiefs consistently churn over the bottom parts of the roster, showing an inability to rest on their laurels if they think that the addition of a new player could potentially be better down the road. It’s an aspect that can be seen year after year for the Chiefs.
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