On the latest episode of ‘Behind the Colts’ GM Chris Ballard discussed the free agent additions of Cam Bynum and Charvarius Ward.
General manager Chris Ballard recently spoke about the free agent additions of Charvarius Ward and Camy Bynum on ‘Behind the Colts,’ which is produced by the Indianapolis Colts.
After the 2024 season ended, Ballard was to the point in saying that the secondary play from the Colts in 2024 wasn’t good enough. This was a unit that ranked in the bottom third of the NFL in completion rate allowed, yards per pass attempt, pass deflections, and passer rating. In short, too many big plays were given up and not enough plays on the ball were being made.
The overhaul defensively for the Colts began when they hired Lou Anarumo as the new defensive coordinator. His coaching background is rooted in the secondary, and his defensive scheme has also helped produce some productive defensive backfields in Cincinnati.
However, to really help this unit take a big step forward, an infusion of talent was needed, and Ballard was going to have to change course from how he had recently operated when it came to free agency. Back in January, Ballard said things needed to change after he called his roster construction approach in 2024 a “mistake,” and to his credit, things did, with the Colts spending big to land Bynum and Ward.
Going beyond the impressive individual production that Bynum and Ward have on their resumes, both are very good fits for what Anarumo wants to accomplish defensively.
Ward is more than comfortable operating on an island and thrives playing an aggressive coverage style, where he is up on the receiver at the line of scrimmage. For a Colts’ defense that struggled to contain opposing offenses’ top receivers last season, Ward can match up one-on-one with that caliber of player.
“Been following him for a long time and watching him throughout his career,” Ballard said of Ward via Stamped Blue. “Played at a very high level and every stop along the way. Knowing that we needed to add another corner with experience that was a good fit for what Lou (Anarumo) wanted to do in terms of playing a little more man coverage. We thought he was an excellent fit for us.”
“We couldn’t be more excited to get him and the fit. He gives us a corner that I think can match up really well against good players.”
When it comes to Bynum, a lot can be put on the plate of the free safety in Anarumo’s defense. But Bynum brings a versatile skill set, able to fill a variety of roles, which will come in handy in Anarumo’s disguise-heavy scheme. In addition to that, Bynum is comfortable operating in space, another important element in this new Colts’ defense that will feature more Cover-1 looks, and he’s had really impressive ball production throughout his career.
“We liked him coming out of college,” Ballard said. “We saw the instincts. We saw the ball skills, which has absolutely translated to our league. He takes the ball away, and he has a nose for it, but also he’s a good athlete. He’s a good tackler. He’s a good offset to Nick Cross.”
Not to be overlooked either when it comes to these additions, but both bring playoff experience to a Colts’ roster that doesn’t have much of that, and Ward has been to two Super Bowls, winning one of them.
