Chris Ballard reverted to his old free-agent playbook. He re-signed his own players first.Instead of making a big first-day splash [url=https://www.coltsfanshop.com/John-Simon-Jersey]John Simon Color Rush Jersey[/url] , he barely made a ripple on the second day. And he’s probably not finished yet.As the first big wave of free agency signings were announced Wednesday, Ballard made two under-the-radar moves — re-signing backup cornerback Chris Milton to a one-year deal and bringing back starting cornerback Pierre Desir with a three-year deal — before signing former Carolina receiver Devin Funchess to a one-year deal Thursday.It’s all part of the grand plan.“We have a very strict criterion of what we want to bring in,” Ballard said recently. “We want players that want to get better, want to be great, want to be a part of the team, that are willing to sacrifice sometimes their individual stats for the betterment of winning and being a good teammate. If they fit into that criterion, absolutely, they’ll fit in.”After taking some risks last season, Ballard is betting on Funchess, Carolina’s second-round pick in 2015. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, he gives Andrew Luck a bigger receiver than he’s worked with in the past.And if Funchess replicates what he did in 2017, when he caught 63 passes for 840 yards and eight touchdowns [url=https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Chester-Rogers-Jersey]https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Chester-Rogers-Jersey[/url] , he could emerge as the perfect complement to three Pro Bowl pass-catchers already on the roster: receiver T.Y. Hilton and tight ends Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle.Last year, though, Funchess regressed. He had 44 receptions for 549 yards and four TDs and reinforced his reputation for drops. So Ballard reportedly gave Funchess a $10 million deal that could go up to as much as $13 million.“I think the Colts are a great fit and I think they’re ready to take that next step,” Funchess said Thursday during a conference call. “I think if we win the Super Bowl, everything will take care of itself.”Ballard has made this journey before.A year ago, he gambled on Ebron, the Detroit Lions’ underachieving first-round pick from 2014. Ebron wound up catching more touchdown passes in 2018 than any tight end in the league and made his first Pro Bowl appearance.Not every move pays off, though. Ballard also signed Ryan Grant, the Washington Redskins’ 2014 fifth-round pick, last year. Indy expected Grant would emerge as the No. 2 receiver. Instead, Grant’s playing time steadily dwindled.Now, Ballard is at it again, this time with Funchess — though it’s not a terribly risky move.The Colts went into free agency with the most cap space in the league and if Funchess doesn’t work out [url=https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Antonio-Morrison-Jersey]Antonio Morrison Jersey[/url] , the Colts could let him walk away next year and recoup all of their cap room — just like they did with Grant.But the Colts’ more important moves might have come before free agency opened Wednesday.Kicker Adam Vinatieri, the league’s career scoring leader, signed a one-year deal worth $3.875 million in January. Right guard Mark Glowinski agreed to a three-year, $16.2 million deal in February — a move that keeps Indy’s offensive line intact after allowing a league-low 18 sacks in 2018.Last week, versatile defensive tackle Margus Hunt decided to stay in Indy after the best season of his career. His two-year deal is worth $9 million. On Wednesday, Ballard brought back Desir for three years at $25 million and Milton, a key backup and special teams player. Desir recorded 79 tackles in 12 starts last season.And Ballard has said he would like to keep oft-injured Clayton Geathers — if he can.“We are going to make some tweaks to our program internally, but our mission will never change,” Ballard said. “Everything we do matters. Our building understands that.”100View Gallery Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj Mehta INDIANAPOLIS (2-2) at KANSAS CITY (4-0)Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBCOPENING LINE _ Chiefs by 10RECORD VS. SPREAD _ Colts 2-1-1, Chiefs 3-1SERIES RECORD _ Colts lead 16-10LAST MEETING _ Chiefs beat Colts 31-13, Jan. 12LAST WEEK _ Colts lost to Raiders 31-24; Chiefs beat Lions 34-30.AP PRO32 RANKING _ Colts No. 18 [url=https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Kenny-Moore-Jersey]Kenny Moore Color Rush Jersey[/url] , Chiefs No. 2COLTS OFFENSE _ OVERALL (19), RUSH (7), PASS (25).COLTS DEFENSE _ OVERALL (16), RUSH (25), PASS (13).CHIEFS OFFENSE _ OVERALL (2), RUSH (20), PASS (1).CHIEFS DEFENSE _ OVERALL (30), RUSH (31), PASS (20).STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES _ Colts have lost two straight in series. ... Chiefs’ win over Indianapolis in January was their first home playoff win since Jan. 8, 1994. ... Chiefs seeking to start 5-0 for third consecutive season. They have done it five times in franchise history. ... Five teams have allowed fewer sacks this season than Indianapolis (six). ... Colts have converted 49 percent of third downs, fifth-best in league, and all five fourth-down attempts. ... Jacoby Brissett is tied for league lead with 10 TD passes through first four games [url=https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Jeremiah-George-Jersey]https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Jeremiah-George-Jersey[/url] , most by an Indianapolis QB to start season since Andrew Luck in 2014. ... DE Justin Houston will make first trip to Kansas City as visitor after spending first eight NFL seasons with Chiefs. Needs three tackles for loss to reach 100. ... Despite missing last two games with concussion, All-Pro LB Darius Leonard has more tackles than all but two players since start of 2018 season. ... Adam Vinatieri needs three field-goal attempts to become second player in league history with 700. Morten Andersen had 709. Vinatieri will tie Eugene Daniel for fourth-most games played (198) in franchise history with next appearance. ... Chiefs coach Andy Reid needs one win to reach 200 regular-season victories. He has 211 total, sixth-most in NFL history. ... Kansas City was unbeaten in October last season and is 11-2 under Reid in the month. ... Chiefs have scored 70 points in second quarters of first four games, most in NFL history. ... Kansas City has scored at least 26 points in record 22 straight games. ... Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has thrown for 1,510 yards, third-most through first four weeks of season. ... TE Travis Kelce has catches in 83 straight games, tied with Stephone Paige for second-most in Chiefs history. ... Fantasy Tip: Mahomes is due for a bounce-back performance after pedestrian (by his standards) game last week in Detroit, where he threw for more than 300 yards but failed to throw a touchdown pass.