As free-agent negotiations get underway around the NFL, lots of dots are being connected between the Colts and the top names on the market.



But apart the fact that the Colts have the largest sum of salary-cap space in the NFL (around $100 million), there is little evidence to suggest the Colts are inclined to splurge this spring.



Don’t agree? Just look at the team’s recent free-agent history. General manager Chris Ballard has shown no propensity to spend wildly in free agency, preferring instead to adhere to a philosophy under which he looks to sign targeted mid-level players to serve as complementary pieces.



This has led to some criticism that the concept is shortsighted, taking numerous free agents off the table from the outset. Is there merit to this? The best approach to drawing conclusions is to base them on results.



That’s exactly what we did.



As Ballard embarks on his third free-agency season since joining the Colts,...