Colts hire Lou Anarumo as defensive coordinator after missing playoffs again, AP source says

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts decided two weeks ago that their defense needed a change.

On Monday, the offseason overhaul began with the hiring of Lou Anarumo, a person with knowledge of the hire confirmed to The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the decision has not been announced.

Anarumo replaces Gus Bradley, who was heavily criticized this past season for an underperforming unit.

How bad was it? Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner called it the worst defense he had played on since being traded to the Colts in 2020.

General manager Chris Ballard blamed himself for the problems that, at least in part, kept the Colts (8-9) out of the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season.

“That falls on all of us,” Ballard said Jan. 10, four days after the Bradley decision was announced. "And at the end of the day, I did not give them enough, and we’ve got to — in totality, have to do better defensively — from a player acquisition standpoint and from a play standpoint.”

Anarumo spent the past six seasons in Cincinnati and was considered a “hot” head coaching candidate after helping the Bengals reach the Super Bowl following the 2021 season. He was even linked to vacancies with the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals as recently as 2023.

But as the Bengals defense had a rough season in 2024, Anarumo's stock took a significant hit. He was fired Jan. 6.

Now he's getting a new chance with a team that seems primed to be making additional moves. Indy already had announced defensive backs coach Ron Milus and linebackers coach Richard Smith would not return.

Ballard also must contend with a free agent list that includes starting linebacker E.J. Speed, starting safety Julian Blackmon and three key backups — defensive tackle Taven Bryan, defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo and linebacker Grant Stuard.

Typically, Ballard has spent his available salary cap room on re-signing players the team has developed through the draft. But he sounded open to taking a different approach in 2025 following his season-ending news conference.

“We have to do a better job identifying the free agents we want to sign and then being able to close the deal on them. And that’s up to me, it really is,” Ballard said. "It’s not (team owner) Mr. (Jim) Irsay, he’ll let me do what I need to do — and my staff. We have to be able to do that.”

And he could be getting some help in the free agent market from Buckner, a team captain who called for key changes this offseason while promising to recruit free agents who can help the Colts get back to the postseason.

It's unclear how much will change schematically with Anarumo handling the defense. Still, Buckner wants to see changes.

“We all have egos, but the great teams, those guys sacrifice that ego and check it at the door,” Buckner said. “You see it, you can feel it. You can see it on tape. It wasn't just one guy, it was a lot of guys and I have to take part ownership in that and serve in a much better way next year.”

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