General manager Chris Ballard has said multiple times this offseason that he knows the Indianapolis Colts need to get younger and more athletic along their defensive front seven. While Indy is waiting to do that, its AFC South rivals, the Tennessee Titans, just acquired edge rusher Jermaine Johnson in a move that should make Colts fans jealous.
Tennessee, with its new defensive-minded head coach, Robert Saleh, didn't wait to see what might happen this offseason. The team proactively made a move to try to get better. This is a bad sign for Ballard and Indianapolis, as the GM seemingly likes to wait for good things to occur.
Johnson is entering his fifth season in the NFL and is in the final year of his rookie deal after his former team, the New York Jets, picked up his fifth-year option for 2026. He wasn't overly productive in 2025, but the Jets were simply a terrible team with a definite lack of chemistry.
Indianapolis Colts watch as the Tennessee Titans make an important move
The edge rusher has made one Pro Bowl in his career, though. In his second season, he had 7.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, and 11 tackles for loss. While he had just three sacks this season, he did have 35 total pressures and 17 run stuffs. Had the Colts made the trade instead of the Titans, Indy would have had a scary edge rush duo of Johnson and Laiatu Latu.
To get Johnson, the Titans gave defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat to the Jets. Sweat is also still on his rookie deal, who has been fantastic against the run, but doesn't offer much in terms of quarterback pressure. Indianapolis can stop the run, but it is with pressure that the team needs help. Indy might have offered Grover Stewart and a draft pick for Johnson, but seemingly didn't.
What often has hurt the Indianapolis Colts, and might still this offseason unless quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce are signed before free agency begins, is that Ballard waits too long to make important moves. He isn't proactive enough.
The Colts must make the playoffs this season, surely, for Chris Ballard to keep his job. His team has made the playoffs just twice in his nine years. That isn't good enough, and the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars are going to be difficult again next season.
What Indianapolis cannot afford to happen is for the Tennessee Titans to make a quick improvement under Saleh and catch up to Indy. The Titans aren't waiting around to try to get better, though, and are making moves they hope improve them. Ballard is simply standing back and watching.