The idea of trading for three-time First-Team All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner was to shore up a weakness in the Indianapolis Colts' defensive backfield, but the move was also meant to express a vote of confidence in Daniel Jones and the Colts' hopeful playoff pursuit.
That was all before everything fell apart, because Jones was in the process of leading the Colts in their division and on a playoff path at the time of the trade. Jones would eventually get injured, and Indy's season crashed and burned not long after. The trade for Gardner, however, was still a solid move by Colts GM Chris Ballard with the right intentions, despite the poor ending.
Gardner will be back with the Colts next season, that is for sure. That being said, their defense is still an area of priority Ballard will assuredly address over the offseason as questions at the line backer position, among others, need to be answered, and with Lou Anarumo running Indy's defense — he's one of the NFL's best, if not the best, defensive coordinators — the Colts should be giving him as much as they can.
Lou Anarumo could benefit more from the Indianapolis Colts upgrading their defense
With the Colts about to enter this summer's draft without a first-round pick, they'll have to be forced to pick from the second or third-tier of defensive players to bolster their defense. Indy has Nos. 47 and 78 in the first three rounds of the 2026 draft, and using at least one of those picks on a linebacker would be wise.
Not that Indy's defense is old, necessarily, but both Zaire Franklin and Germaine Pratt are 29-year-old veterans, and at least for now, Franklin is still part of Indy's plans, as he's under a three-year contract. Pratt, on the other hand, is a free agent this summer and could re-sign with the Colts, but that is not guaranteed.
Keep or let Pratt walk, and with Zaire still in play, either way, the Colts have to address their linebackers group. Leaning toward younger, faster players is the probable direction Ballard will take. They also need more consistency in the pass rush, something Ballard alluded to following the season, but the statement could extend to outside the linebackers, with a focus on the defensive line also.
If the Colts do try to go after a linebacker in the draft, the mock draft from Pro Football has Indianapolis taking Jack Golday out of Cincinnati. Golday is 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, and would add size and speed to the Colts' defense, considering he runs a sub-4.6 40-yard dash. That's not necessary elite linebacker speed, but it's still an excellent mark for someone of Golday's size.
Whether it's Golday or someone else, Anarumo's past defenses with the Cincinnati Bengals were often predicated on creativity and versatility, and in most cases, the younger a defensive player is, the more versatile they can be. Not to mention, Anarumo coordinated a defense that stopped Patrick Mahomes on the way to a Super Bowl appearance in 2022.
Anarumo knows his schemes and defensive football situations, and the Colts benefited significantly from having him return for next season. Still, he's coaching from the sidelines, and the Colts have some questions at linebacker that need to be resolved.
If Jones returns after his recovery, and he can play like he did last season before going down, the Colts could compete for a playoff spot next season.
This is all the more reason for Indy to focus on defense this offseason and make sure they fill the necessary holes in order to enter next season complete on that side of the ball.