The Colts have brought in two veteran names at defensive coordinator as part of their ongoing interview process.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Indianapolis Colts are set to interview former Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and NFL head coach Steve Wilks for their open defensive coordinator opening respectively—after parting ways with veteran Gus Bradley earlier this week:
The #Colts have begun their defensive coordinator search, with former #Bengals DC Lou Anarumo and longtime NFL coach Steve Wilks among those expected to interview next week, per sources.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 9, 2025
Regarding Anarumo, the former Purdue University defensive backs coach (2004-11) was a longtime defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals (2019-2024). While Anarumo’s defense fell off last season—arguably due to depleted talent on that side of the ball, at one point they were one of the league’s highest regarded units back in 2022:
Bengals Defense in Points Allowed:
- 2024: 25th
- 2023: 21st
- 2022: 6th
- 2021: 17th
- 2020: 22nd
- 2019: 25th
Meanwhile, veteran defensive coordinator Steve Wilks is a household name after serving as the prior head coach for both the Arizona Cardinals (2018) and Carolina Panthers (interim, 2022)—and also had his own collegiate stop in Indiana, as Notre Dame DBs coach (2004).
He’s had previous defensive coordinator stops with the Cleveland Browns (2019, 20th in points allowed), University of Missouri (2021), and San Francisco 49ers (2023, 3rd in points allowed) among his other coaching stints.
While both still come from 4-3 defensive schemes, neither appears to play purely some of the ‘soft zone coverage’ of Cover 2 and 3 that has exasperated some Colts fans in recent seasons for the franchise.