The Indianapolis Colts have made great strides towards improving their -- let's be honest -- terrible defense from last season. With Gus Bradley gone, they brought in Lou Anarumo as a much more promising defensive coordinator, and made several great signings in the offseason; most notably, of Cam Bynum and Charvarius Ward. While the defense wasn't looking perfect yet, things were still looking up.
Then disaster struck.
Two of the best players on the Colts' defense, Zaire Franklin and Jaylon Carlies, ended up being injured. Franklin is going to be undergoing surgery on his ankle, and will be out until training camp; Carlies had surgery on his shoulder and is also out. Add to the injuries that E.J. Speed left Indianapolis in free agency, and the hypothetical need for more depth at linebacker has now become a glaring reality.
The answer to the Colts' problems lies with the Bengals
Luckily, there's a solution. Cincinnati superstar Germaine Pratt requested a trade earlier in the offseason, and Indianapolis is a natural fit. Pratt was close to Anarumo, so reuniting with his former DC would likely be attractive to the star linebacker.
And let's be clear: he is a superstar. He led the team with 143 tackles, the 10th best in the NFL, and had his best season yet in 2024, where he racked up multiple interceptions and forced fumbles. Every year, Pratt has seen improvement, and there's no reason to believe that wouldn't continue in Indianapolis.
Here's where things could be a little more complicated: do the Colts trade for him now, or take a gamble and wait for Cincinnati to release him? The latter is a possibility, after they added three new linebackers (Demetrius Knight Jr., Barrett Carter, and Oren Burks) in the offseason. However, that's still a big gamble; two of those linebackers are rookies, who likely were nothing more than insurance for Cincinnati in case they do end up losing Pratt. Yes, Pratt wants to leave, but it seems unlikely that the Bengals are going to roll out the red carpet for him on the way out the door. Knight could end up an immediate superstar and Pratt could be released... but can the Colts really sit around and wait for the mere possibility of that happening?
Chris Ballard has made some (uncharacteristically) bold moves this offseason, and it's time for him to make another one. He needs to address this problem at linebacker head-on. Even with Franklin and Carlies back at full strength by the time the 2025 season starts, adding Pratt will only make the defense that much stronger... and if they don't recover well enough, then the Colts are going to need Pratt on the roster all the more.