The Indianapolis Colts have rebuilt their defensive coaching staff, first with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, and later adding James Bettcher and Jerome Henderson. Both Anarumo and Bettcher were from the Cincinnati Bengals, which may pay off as the Colts now move on to rebuild their defense, too.
General manager Chris Ballard has previously had a less-than-stellar reputation regarding free agency, preferring to run back his current roster and avoid signing free agents. This year, however, he has promised that he's learned from his mistakes, and he's gotten a golden opportunity to prove it in Trey Hendrickson.
The Bengals have given Hendrickson permission to seek a trade, after he had previously asked for a contract extension, and the Colts are assumed to be a good option for him. As Ian Rapoport explained, Indianapolis is a natural landing place. "Among the teams [interested], the Indianapolis Colts, they have Lou Anarumo, his former defensive coordinator last year with the Cincinnati Bengals," ha said. "Fired, went to the Colts. They need an edge, this makes a lot of sense."
From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: The #Bengals and Trey Hendrickson are headed for a split. He has permission to seek a trade... pic.twitter.com/X0TInZPb8T
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 7, 2025
And Hendrickson has made it clear just how much he respects Anarumo. During a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, he had very high praise to give, which could indicate that he would be open to joining the Colts. "I was blessed to be productive under his scheme, and I think he does a good job of making a very open room, meaning you can talk to him about scheme," he said. "This doesn't necessarily fit to what we think we're going to do to attack him. Very organic. And, you know, he's a leader of elite men. Lou Anarumo is a leader of men and he's a great friend to me."
He continued, "It was one of those things that, there were some question marks when I signed in Cincinnati originally and, you know, he's always been there and supporting me in every direction that I had to go, and as I continue to grow as a player, to stay humble and to be productive under his defense was special."
Hendrickson has been to four straight Pro Bowls, and 35 sacks over two years. He would be an incredible addition to the Colts defense, and it's a trade Ballard shouldn't sleep on.