The Indianapolis Colts already announced head coach Shane Steichen isn't going anywhere. After three mediocre seasons on the job record-wise, he will stick around for at least one more year. One of his coaches might be leaving, though.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Tennessee Titans have requested the OK to discuss their vacant head coaching position with Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. Anarumo hasn't yet been a head coach in the NFL, but he has spent eight seasons as a DC in the NFL with three different teams.
The odd part is that, statistically speaking, his units have normally been among the best in the league. The only year his defense ranked higher than 17th in points allowed was 2022, when he was with the Cincinnati Bengals. With a banged-up Colts defense this season, his group ranked 21st in points allowed.
Tennessee Titans have requested to speak with Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo
He has also never had a defense rank higher than 16th in yards allowed. In other words, whatever other teams might be seeing from Anarumo's efficiency defensively, it isn't based on statistics. Maybe Anarumo has simply had a bad group of players to work with every year he has been a DC and has made the sum better than the parts.
Or, possibly, Anarumo isn't that great of a defensive coordinator. He sticks to his system no matter which players are healthy, but his scheme also leaves a gaping hole over the middle of the field in which quarterbacks can throw passes to receivers being poorly covered by inside linebackers.
Losing Lou Anarumo, if he does join the Tennessee Titans as their head coach, might not be a bad thing. Indianapolis doesn't seemingly lack talent, especially if the group can stay healthy. The cornerback group is great with Sauce Gardner, Charvarius Ward, and Kenny Moore. Defensive lineman
DeForest Buckner is aging and will need to return from a neck injury, but he is fantastic when healthy. Edge rusher Laiatu Latu also saw a huge increase in production in his second season and could be even better in year three and beyond.
Maybe a different defensive coordinator can mold the talent that exists with the Indianapolis Colts into a unit that ranks in the top ten in points allowed and yards allowed. Lou Anarumo might not be able to do that as he has ever only had one team that ranked in the top ten of either of those categories.
Maybe if he leaves for an AFC South rival, that is a win-win for the Colts. He won't be employed by Indy, but would be by a beatable opponent Indianapolis plays twice a year.