The Indianapolis Colts appear to have at least one front-runner in the early stages of their search for a new general manager.

Chris Ballard, the Kansas City Chiefs director of football operations, is the first candidate scheduled for a second meeting with the team, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

News of Ballard advancing to a second stage of the interview process comes shortly after a report from Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports indicating that the Colts were "definitely intrigued" by Ballard as a potential replacement for Ryan Grigson.

Considering Ballard's rise through the front office ranks over the years, as well as the fact that he was seen as a frontrunner for the vacant general manager position with the San Francisco 49ers before eventually electing to back out, it's not exactly surprising that he's impressed Colts ownership.

What's most interesting about the potential fit, though, is La Canfora adding that Ballard's preference would be to bring along Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub as his head coach.

Colts owner Jim Irsay gave Chuck Pagano a vote of confidence at the press conference held following Grigson's dismissal, indicating the veteran coach would return for a sixth season in 2017.

Whether Irsay would be willing to go back on that claim to lock down his top choice for the general manager job remains to be seen.

The Colts head into the offseason looking to rebound from a pair of 8-8 seasons that have followed three consecutive playoff trips at the outset of the Grigson-Pagano era.