Who is the most important addition to the Indianapolis Colts' defense this season? Maybe one of the rookies? Unfortunately, it won’t be Justin Walley now that he is out for the year, but J.T. Tuimoloau could be huge if he helps jumpstart the pass rush. And Hunter Wohler is looking like a versatile playmaker at the back end of the defense.
Or maybe it’s one of the free agents. Can Cam Bynum and Charvarius Ward revive the secondary? Maybe someone further down the depth chart can emerge. Lou Anarumo has praised backup linebacker Joe Bachie for his knowledge of Anarumo’s system, having played under Indy's new DC in Cincinnati the past several years.
Maybe it’s not a player at all. Maybe Anarumo will prove to be the crucial addition. His tenure as defensive coordinator in Cincinnati didn’t exactly end all that well, but his new charges in Indy have lauded his intensity and enthusiasm.
Maybe he can inject much-needed energy. Or maybe it will be one of the new coaches he has brought in. James Bettcher, Jerome Henderson, or Chris Hewitt. They should all make a positive impact.
The Indianapolis Colts most important addition to the defense is not a defender at all
Those are all reasonable answers, but they are all likely to be wrong. The most important addition to the Colts’ defense for the 2025 season will be Tyler Warren
Before you say it, I do realize that Tyler Warren plays offense. This is not one of those Travis Hunter situations where Shane Steichen plans to deploy his first-round draft pick on both sides of the ball. Nonetheless, the presence of Warren will have a major impact on the defense.
To understand why, let’s dive into some numbers.
In 2024, the Colts' defense continued its long, slow slide toward the bottom of the league. They finished 29th in total defense, down from 24th in 2023. But if you look at their yards-per-play, Indy’s defense was actually in the middle of the pack.
You can do the math on this. A team that surrenders a lot of total yards, but not a lot of yards per play, is on the field longer than they should be. Sometimes, that’s because the defense isn’t good enough to get the opposing offense off the field, and drives are extended. But sometimes, it’s because that same team’s offense can’t sustain drives of its own.
I’m not going to argue that the Colts have an elite defense. There are clearly problems that need to be addressed. But they have several things going for them. Most importantly, they are strong in the middle with DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, and Zaire Franklin. In Laiatu Latu, Kwity Paye, and Tuimoloau, they should be able to generate some pass pressure.
I’m less confident about whether the secondary can hold up, especially if they can’t shake this injury bug. But this should not be the 29th-ranked defense in the NFL.
The Colts defense was that bad in 2024 because they were on the field too much. Indy finished 30th in time of possession, ahead of only Carolina and Jacksonville, two teams that combined to go 9-25 last year. No team stat is a definitive indicator of success (other than the team’s actual record) but time of possession comes pretty close. It is very hard to be good if your opponent has the ball more than you do.
How does Tyler Warren help with this?
Over his final two seasons at Penn State, Warren caught 138 passes. More than 62 percent of them resulted in first downs. If you factor in his 15 touchdowns, the number rises to 73 percent. Tyler Warren catches a lot of balls, and in college, almost 75 percent of those receptions yielded a drive-extending first down, or a point-scoring touchdown.
For purposes of this argument, we’re mainly focused on those first downs because they allow your defense more time to rest. But those touchdowns obviously matter a great deal. They put more pressure on an opposing offense to keep up, which in turn can benefit a defense.
Warren is not likely to be quite as proficient at converting first downs in the NFL. Last year, the league’s top tight ends – Trey McBride, Brock Bowers – turned about 55 percent of their catches into first downs. But if Warren can approach that number, Indy’s defense gets better.