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The Indianapolis Colts are expected to be one of the top Super Bowl contenders in the 2015 NFL season. Ryan Grigson went out and was very aggressive in free agency this past offseason, and improved quite a few of the positions that they needed help at. One of those positions was at running back, and Frank Gore was signed in free agency to help fill that hole.
Behind Gore, the Colts will have quite a few talented backups. They have been able to make one of their biggest weaknesses into what appears to be a strength.
Vick Ballard is expected to make the roster as one of Gore’s backups. He will have to contend with both Josh Robinson and Zurlon Tipton, and the Colts have been big fans of Ballard throughout his career. Unfortunately, he has torn his ACL in back-to-back seasons and hasn’t been able to show off the starter potential that many saw in him during his rookie season.
As a rookie, Ballard picked up 814 yards and two touchdowns on 211 carries. Those numbers looked extremely impressive to say the least, and he immediately was thought to have a chance at being the starter long-term. Obviously that didn’t work out, and he is looking to win a roster spot heading into the 2015 season.
Gore is going to be the starter without question, but the primary backup role is still up for grabs. Robinson has a very good chance to win it, but Ballard has experience that the rookie cannot use to his advantage.
At just 24 years old, Ballard still has a lot of high caliber football left to play in his career. Assuming he is able to stay healthy, there is no question that he could get back to being a legitimate candidate to win a starting job somewhere. Indianapolis could very well be hoping that Gore can take the younger running backs under his wings, and help them develop over the next few seasons.
Ballard and Gore are very similar running backs, and it could be exactly what he has needed to get his career back on track.
It isn’t going to be easy for him to work his way into playing time in 2015. Despite that fact, the Colts do want to see him work his way onto the roster and earn another chance to prove himself.
Needless to say, Ballard’s career is far from over and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him win the backup job in Indianapolis. He has plenty of potential to reach and work for over the next few seasons, and already has the talent to play immediately if the Colts need him to. Indianapolis has already shown that they believe in him by keeping him throughout the last two seasons, and they likely won’t give up on him now that he’s healthy again.
Expect to see him end up making the roster as Gore’s primary backup. He will get some work throughout the season, and will take the next step towards proving himself to be a starting caliber running back.
Evan Massey is a featured writer for www.RantSports.com, and contributes across the NFL, MLB, NCAA and NBA portions of the site. Follow him on Twitter at @Massey_Evan and like him on Facebook.
