The Indianapolis Colts continued their hot start to 2025 as they got their third consecutive win and first division win of the 2025 NFL season. Indy dominated the Tennessee Titans 41-20 in their most convincing effort this season.
The offense is firing on all cylinders, and the defense has improved since last season. One of the many areas that we had concerns about entering the season was on the defensive side of the ball.
That position was at linebacker, and the minimal depth the franchise had at that position. The focus of the Lou Anarumo scheme is the secondary, but having weak depth anywhere is always a cause for concern.
Colts fans should not be surprised if Anthony Walker Jr. begins seeing playing time
This season, fans have seen most of the snaps on linebackers come from defensive captain Zaire Franklin and veteran Joe Bachie. Franklin continues to shine as the leader, and Bachie has really stepped into that complementary starter role we all hoped he would emerge into. However, the rest of the room continues to lag in dependability, and the snap counts show it.
With Franklin and Bachie commanding much of the linebacker snaps, the players behind them could see some changes. If you look at the snap counts, it’s newly promoted Austin Ajiake that is getting those LB3 rotational reps. He played 24 snaps against Tennessee and recorded three tackles.
Fans saw others like Segun Olubi relegated to special teams, and Cameron McGrone saw minimal playing time (13 snaps in Week 3) with no stats. Waiver wire pick up Chad Muma was a healthy scratch as he is getting integrated into the defense after getting cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars at the end of the preseason.
Olubi was likely the last guy on the roster to make the team, but his experience on special teams has become increasingly valuable. Ajaike has shown his prowess on special teams but also in game rotation.
One would assume that makes him expendable for this season. It also appears that the team would like to continue to develop Chad Muma. This leaves McGrone, who has seen his snap counts on a bit of a roller coaster to start the season.
It should come as no surprise that the Colts signed Anthony Walker Jr. to the practice squad earlier this season. Most likely thought it was nostalgia for Ballard to bring him back. If you dive deeper into the numbers, the reasoning was right there for us.
He spent four seasons with the franchise, and it was the best stretch he has had of his career. The highlight was the 2019 season, where he recorded 124 combined tackles along with 2.5 sacks. It was arguably one of Chris Ballard’s best late-round picks. He has battled injury since leaving Indianapolis and has found himself back with the franchise.
It’s rare for a team to sign a vested veteran to the practice squad without giving them a realistic path to the active roster. The path of this season has changed significantly since it started.
This was a team we all assumed was headed towards football purgatory again, but after a convincing 3-0 start, the plan changed. An uncertain and decreasing role with McGrone might just lead to a new veteran presence on the active roster as the Colts head to Los Angeles for a difficult Week 4 matchup.