Earlier in the offseason, the Indianapolis Colts made the tough decision to part ways with longtime veteran and Colts' on-and-off-field leader, Zaire Franklin—a true franchise cornerstone. Franklin had spent the entirety of his eight NFL years in Indianapolis. Now, he'll assist Micah Parsons with the Green Bay Packers.
By trading Franklin, the Colts lost not only a vocal leader and significant defensive presence, but also the direct line of communication from Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. Franklin was the bridge of communication from the sideline to the field for four seasons, wearing the green dot.
With Franklin gone, the Colts had to go in a different direction, and their new green-dot wearer isn't a linebacker, as is the usual case for most NFL teams. Instead, the Colts went with safety Cam Bynum. About to take on a whole new responsibility, Bynum recently discussed how he prepared for the role and how it's not far off from how Anarumo does things anyway.
Indianapolis Colts safety Cam Bynum is ready to be the defense's direct communication bridge
Out of the 32 NFL teams going into their 2026 season, 31 are projected to use linebackers as the team's direct bridge of communication from the defensive coordinator on the sideline. Every year, roughly 90% of teams rely on linebackers in this role, and such was the case with the Colts until now.
That said, Anarumo, who spent six years as the defensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals, didn't always stay in typical NFL form. In choosing Bynum to wear the green dot this season, Anarumo took a page from his old Bengals days when he relied on safety Vonn Bell as his line of communication to the defense.
Bynum has played in the NFL for six years and is about to play in his second year with the Colts. This season will be a whole different animal for him in this new role. That said, according to Bynum, he's prepared for the responsibilities Anarumo and Colts head coach Shane Steichen have entrusted to him.
"I take pride in being able to carry that communication straight from the coach and give everything that I need to say to the other guys," Bynum said according to The Indy Star. "[Anarumo] said when a linebacker has it, he's always telling something to the safeties anyway."
To help in his new conquest, Bynum spoke directly with Bell during the former Bengals player's visit to the Colts' OTAs this summer, when Bell made sure Bynum knew to 'get in shape'. By the sound of it, Bynum knows what he has to do to be successful, lead, and still make game-changing plays.
"I get on the battle ropes trying to do as much lung stuff to get my lung capacity up," he said. "It's a different thing. It's easy to run back, but when you have to talk and say the full call, and the call is a full sentence long, sometimes they get long-winded. I have to be able to achieve my last play myself, digest what I saw from the offense, but I'm also hearing the next play call."
Being a line of communication isn't new for Bynum, though, which should help him during the season. Bynum has already spent time as the primary point of contact between the linebacker and the defensive backs on the Colts, and his relationship with Anarumo is solid after plenty of discussions.
Bynum is already known on the Colts defense as a vocal player. His new role might actually come smoothly to him. In any case, the Colts clearly trust him, and there shouldn't be any surprise if Bynum comes up big for the Colts by making plays or calling them to his teammates.
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