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Was Bengals DC a scapegoat for disappointing season? (1:43)
Dan Orlovsky wonders if defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was unfairly blamed for the Bengals disappointing season. (1:43)
Stephen Holder, ESPNJan 20, 2025, 04:10 PM ET
- Stephen joined ESPN in 2022, covering the Indianapolis Colts and NFL at large. Stephen finished first place in column writing in the 2015 Indiana Associated Press Media Editors competition, and he is a previous top-10 winner in explanatory journalism in the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest. He has chronicled the NFL since 2005, covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2005-2013 and the Colts since 2013. He has previously worked for the Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and The Athletic.
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Colts are hiring former Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo to take over the same duties in Indianapolis, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Monday.
The Colts fired veteran coordinator Gus Bradley earlier this month in their effort to seek improvement on defense after a disappointing season that saw them fall to 29th in yards allowed (361.2) per game.
Anarumo's unit struggled in 2024, but he has deployed some impressive defenses in the past. Among his achievements was the Bengals' defensive performance in the Super Bowl LVI, where his gameplans were seen as a key factor in the team's success. He famously concocted the defensive plan that stymied the Kansas City Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the AFC Championship Game that season.
A Colts source cited Anarumo's multiple defensive looks as something that appealed to the team. Anarumo, 58, also differs from Bradley in other ways, like his tendency to disguise coverages and greater aggressiveness than the Colts have employed in recent years.
Whereas Bradley was known for using a predictable attack from week to week, Anarumo often tailors his gameplans to opponents in an attempt to seize on an offense's weaknesses.
The Colts had also interviewed other candidates, including former New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen, who is expected to join new Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson's staff, sources told Schefter.
Anarumo's six-year Cincinnati tenure ended disappointingly with the Bengals finishing 2024 ranked 26th in points allowed per drive and 30th in redzone efficiency. But the Colts were looking for change after their own struggles and are hoping a shift in philosophy will help.
"Since I've been a Colt, it's been our worst year defensively for sure," star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said at the season's conclusion.
"You saw glimpses of us playing at a high level and playing as a defense, and then we played some offenses that weren't very good and all of a sudden it was like what happened?"
