The Indianapolis Colts Have a Glaring Linebacker Problem, and Chris Ballard is Looking the Other Way

There is a certain type of madness that comes with being a fan of the Indianapolis Colts these days. You watch general manager Chris Ballard operate, and you can’t help but feel a bizarre mix of deep admiration and overwhelming exasperation. It’s the sports equivalent of watching a master chef perfectly sear a beautiful, dry-aged ribeye steak, only to serve it on a garbage lid.

Let’s be fair for a second: Ballard undeniably possesses a sharp eye for talent. If you need a mid-round pick who will inexplicably turn into a solid starter, Ballard is your guy. His track record in the second, third, and fourth rounds is genuinely impressive. But roster building in the NFL isn’t just about finding hidden gems; it’s about plugging massive, sinking-ship-sized holes. And right now, the Colts’ roster has a leak that threatens to capsize the whole operation.

Between the catastrophic fallout of the Andrew Luck retirement—which, yes, we are still talking about because the scars haven’t faded—and an aging defensive core, the Colts have been treading water. In his seven years steering the ship, Ballard has dragged this franchise to the playoffs exactly once. For context, the only two teams sporting longer active playoff droughts are the New York Jets and the Atlanta Falcons. That is not the kind of company you want to keep if you value your job security.

The Mystifying Linebacker Strategy

If you want to understand exactly why Indianapolis is stuck in the mud of NFL mediocrity, look no further than the middle of their defense. The Indianapolis Colts currently employ a linebacker room that possesses virtually zero proven, long-term success at the professional level.

They had a good one in Zaire Franklin, but he was shipped out this offseason. They had a solid rental in Germaine Pratt, who came in a month into last season, reunited with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, and actually played some decent football. Naturally, Ballard has shown absolute zero interest in bringing him back.

Remember why Pratt was signed in the first place? Because the Colts were out there trying to play real, meaningful NFL games with Joe Bachie as a primary linebacker. With all due respect to Bachie—who busts his tail on special teams—if he is playing heavy snaps in the middle of your defense, your defense is in a world of trouble.

Draft Day Scratches and Bargain Bin Shopping

With seven picks in the upcoming NFL Draft, logic dictates that Ballard would use premium capital to fix the heart of his defense. But “logic” and “Chris Ballard’s linebacker strategy” rarely share the same zip code. Indianapolis has reportedly met with at least five linebacker prospects—the most of any position group—but the names on that list tell a deeply frustrating story.

Without a first-round pick, the elite prospects like Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, and CJ Allen are already pipe dreams. Picking at No. 47 overall in the second round, Ballard could target a complete package. Instead, he’s heavily scouting Missouri’s Josiah Trotter. Now, Trotter has NFL bloodlines—his dad and brother played in the league—and he hits like a freight train coming downhill. But he’s undersized and struggles in pass coverage. He is an early-down thumper, not a three-down foundational piece. Meanwhile, guys with more complete skill sets, like Jacob Rodriguez, Kyle Lewis, and Anthony Hill Jr., haven’t even sniffed a formal meeting with the Colts.

Then there is free agency. Ballard’s grand solution this offseason was signing Akeem Davis-Gaither. Again, Davis-Gaither is an undersized journeyman who operates best as an early-down run stopper. He’s average at his absolute ceiling.

The Scratch-Off Ticket Approach

Ballard is also looking at late-round sleepers, like Jackson Kuwatch out of Miami (Ohio). Kuwatch is a fun prospect whose stock is soaring from an undrafted free agent grade to a potential fourth-round pick. But if Ballard drafts him in the fifth round and expects him to save the defense, he’s playing the lottery. Throwing a bunch of Day 3 darts at the wall and praying one turns into a Pro Bowler is not a sustainable team-building strategy.

It makes you wonder what Lou Anarumo is thinking right now. A few weeks ago, I joked that Anarumo might become the first defensive coordinator in NFL history to roll out a 5-0-6 base defense—just completely eliminate the linebacker position from the playbook entirely.

Honestly? Looking at the guys Ballard is bringing into the building, I’m starting to think a zero-linebacker scheme isn’t a joke anymore. It might just be the Colts’ actual game plan.