The Indianapolis Colts have put in major effort towards rebuilding the defense in the offseason, but the most attention has gone towards bolstering the secondary. Going into 2024, Indianapolis was considered to have one of the worst defenses in the league, and former defensive coordinator Gus Bradley proved that assumption was, in fact, very true. And the secondary was especially bad - so bad, in fact, they ranked near the bottom in an analysis from Pro Football Focus, which wisely pointed out that, as good as Kenny Moore is - and he's one of the best - he's not good enough to carry the entire unit on his own. Julian Blackmon has also been steadily improving year upon year, but it's just not been good enough.
Enter the offseason. For once, general manager Chris Ballard made some bold moves, letting go of Bradley and hiring Lou Anarumo from the Cincinnati Bengals as his replacement. He then signed a pair of rock star free agents - Charvarius Ward and Cam Bynum - and it's safe to say that expectations are significantly higher heading into the 2025 season than they were a year ago.
Just look at Pro Football Focus - this time last year, they ranked the Colts' secondary at the bottom of the pack. This year? They came in at an astonishing #10.
"The Colts are expecting bounce-back seasons from free-agent additions cornerback Charvarius Ward and safety Camryn Bynum. Ward had consistently graded as one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks before a down year in 2024, while Bynum has proven capable of steady play at the pro level. Cornerbacks Jaylon Jones and Kenny Moore return as dependable contributors, and safety Nick Cross posted a 70.3 grade in his first season as a full-time starter."John Kosko, Pro Football Focus
The issue with the Colts defense has rarely been one of a lack of talent. There are plenty of incredibly talented players on the roster, and yet, the defense just never really worked. It seems likely that there was a combination of a problems here, but there is good reason to hope the Indianapolis defense will become a force to be reckoned with in 2025.