A few months ago, when the Indianapolis Colts were riding high, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was getting some buzz as a potential head coaching candidate this offseason. Losing seven straight games to close the season has a way of putting a stop to that kind of talk. The Colts’ defense was not solely responsible for that collapse, but they were a part of it.
The bottom line is that it appears highly likely that Anarumo will return in 2026, and that makes it somewhat easier to predict who he will have on the field. Injuries make such predictions a bit trickier.
In the Colts’ case, they will have some players returning and others possibly considering retirement. It’s those potential retirements that make the following projections most difficult. But we’re going to do it anyway. Here is one prediction of the Colts’ starting eleven on defense for week one of the 2026 season.
Predicting the Indianapolis Colts defensive starters for 2026
We’ll go by position groups, starting up front.
Defensive line: Laiatu Latu, TBD free agent, Grover Stewart, TBD (free agent/draft pick)
Latu is the only absolute sure thing. He is the Colts’ one plus pass rusher from the edge, and he has the athleticism and versatility to drop into coverage on zone blitzes. On the other edge, there is certainly a chance Kwity Paye could be re-signed. But I don’t see it happening right now.
I think Chris Ballard will hit this position hard, signing a mid-tier free agent like Odafe Oweh or Boye Mafe, and also selecting one on day 2 of the draft. Perhaps LT Overton or Kenyatta Jackson, Jr., one of those players, will be starting opposite Latu.
At tackle, there could be a major shakeup. A lot of it depends on what the revered DeForest Buckner chooses to do. When he came back from his neck injury late in the season, I thought it suggested he intended to continue his career. When he was quickly re-injured, I began to have my doubts. I think there is a decent chance Buckner retires.
If he does, I look for the Colts to pursue someone like Teair Tart or Tim Settle, big interior linemen who resemble players like DJ Reader and BJ Hill, who had success with Anarumo in Cincinnati.
Linebackers: Zaire Franklin, Germaine Pratt
Franklin was a bit up and down this season, but everything seemed to steady once Pratt arrived. Pratt is a free agent come March, and were Anarumo to depart, I think Pratt would follow him. Since Anarumo looks to be sticking around, I think Ballard will re-sign Pratt to a two-year, mid-level deal.
Cornerbacks: Sauce Gardner, Justin Walley, Kenny Moore II
Moore remains in the slot while a healthy Walley takes over one side. Sauce Gardner will be on the other perimeter. As much as Indy seems to like Walley, they would prefer Charvarius Ward to be playing opposite Gardner, but that may not be in the cards. Ward suffered multiple concussions this past season. It took him longer and longer to return.
I think Ward will retire. Indy will still have plenty of talent at corner, provided they avoid the injuries that devastated the unit in 2025. It just won’t be the dream pairing everyone hoped to see.
Safeties: Camryn Bynum, Nick Cross
These two should be locked in. Cross is a pending free agent, so there is a chance he leaves. But I don’t see that happening right now. If I’m wrong about that and he does sign elsewhere, it opens the door for 2024 seventh-round pick Hunter Wohler. He was impressive in his rookie offseason preparation, but lost his year to an injury in August.
Overall, I am predicting two new starters along with two other players who were with the club last year, but barely left a mark due to injury.