The Indianapolis Colts are reportedly signing linebacker Germaine Pratt to their practice squad, with a likely eye on elevating him soon to play in real games. That could come as soon as Week 6, if Pratt is in the kind of football shape needed. His signing means things are far from ideal in Indy.
Plus, Pratt coming back after being one of the players not re-signed this past offseason because general manager Chris Ballard wanted to get younger and more athletic should be another reason Ballard is let go at the end of the season.
The Colts already know what to expect from Pratt, and that is mediocrity. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo should know that even better because Pratt is one of the many former Cincinnati Bengals who played under Anarumo in Cincy and eventually became a Colt.
Indianapolis Colts decide to bring Germaine Pratt back because, well...why not?
Ultimately, if you are a bottom-roster defensive player in the NFL, you might hope that you end up on an Anarumo defense because that might allow you to have a roster spot for life, even if it means changing to whatever team Anarumo finds his way to next.
Ballard allowing Pratt to return is ridiculous. The approach of bringing in former Bengals clearly isn't working as the defense continues to struggle, and Ballard supposedly found the long-term green dot on defense in the 2026 NFL Draft in the person of CJ Allen. Allen has been so unimpressive that he has barely played in four of the team's fine games, and must not have impressed in Week 5, either.
The safe assumption is that Pratt will be on the practice squad for only a short time and then become a starter at inside linebacker next to another former Bengals LB, Akeem Davis-Gaither. Allen and fellow rookie Bryce Boettcher will be sent to the bench, where their rookie seasons will likely become utter wastes.
And yet, it is Ballard who keeps signing former Bengals, knowing Anarumo will fail with them, as Ballard allows Anarumo to obviously have full control over the defense, leaving fans to wonder what the heck head coach Shane Steichen is doing other than being a glorified offensive coordinator?
Pratt, who, mind you, no other team was willing to take a chance on signing in free agency other than Indy, spent 12 games with the Indianapolis Colts in 2025 after the Las Vegas Raiders gave up on him four games into the season. The linebacker was also signed to Indy's practice squad initially last season, but then played in a real game less than a week later.
In those 12 games, Pratt was a solid tackler, but was targeted 44 times in pass coverage, allowed 28 completions for 282 yards and four touchdowns. His quarterback rating was a dismal 102.7. He can be decent in run defense, but that isn't Indianapolis's problem; tackling and inside linebacker pass coverage is.
It is important to note that while Pratt whiffed on only 5.4 percent of his tackle attempts last season, he missed on 12.2 percent in 2024.
At some point, the constant signing of former Bengals, coupled with Ballard's inability to draft impactful, young defensive players, will become obvious: The GM needs to go, but so do the head coach and defensive coordinator. Only then will the Colts be a dangerous team again.
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