There have been three reported interviews or upcoming interviews for the Indianapolis Colts’ defensive coordinator opening, and all three candidates have this in common.
As of now, we know that Lou Anarumo, Steve Wilks, and Ephraim Banda are on the Colts’ radar for this opening. So what background do all three of these candidates share?
They cut their teeth in the coaching world working with defensive backs.
Anarumo and Wilks have previous defensive coordinator experience, but before they held those respective titles, both were defensive backs coaches for a number of years at various stops. Banda, meanwhile, is the current safeties coach for Cleveland.
As GM Chris Ballard said on Friday, and as all have seen the last few seasons, the Colts have to get better in the secondary.
In part, that needs to include Ballard bringing in added competition and bolstering the depth, but having a coordinator with a coaching background in the secondary can certainly be key part of fostering that needed growth.
This is a relatively young secondary that the Colts have continued to lean on and one that can still be molded by coaching with Nick Cross, Jaylon Jones, Samuel Womack, and JuJu Brents all still on their rookie deals.
From Cross, Jones, and Womack there were strides made this season, but inconsistency still followed this group with the Colts’ defense finishing the season ranked 28th in yard per pass attempt allowed–showcasing the efficiency and big play ability that opposing offense generated against Indianapolis.
Now, with that said, the Colts’ defensive coordinator search will go beyond just the three names mentioned and I would guess we will see a variety of coaching backgrounds, but the early trend with these three candidates isn’t surprising, given the play we’ve seen on the back end from the Colts the last few years.