The Indianapolis Colts declined to renew Gus Bradley's contract at the end of the 2024 season, a decision that fans largely celebrated. Bradley led one of the worst defenses in the league, despite having numerous talented players on their roster.
Numerous candidates have been suggested, and the Colts have already begun the interview process. Whoever is hired will not only need to improve the defense, but battle ego problems, as described by DeForest Buckner, and issues with discipline.
Sources are now coming forward about who Indianapolis might be interested in - and according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, there are two in particular with interviews already scheduled.
Lou Anarumo
Anarumo has had a long career as a coach in the NFL, beginning in 2012 with the Miami Dolphins as a defensive backs coach. He spent a year with the New York Giants in 2018 before moving on to the Cincinnati Bengals as their defensive coordinator; he was let go at the end of the 2024 season.
Most notoriously, Anarumo's defense held the Kansas City Chiefs to just one field goal in the second half of the 2021 AFC Championship Game, and once in overtime, forced an interception that led to a Bengals victory. They only narrowly lost to the Los Angeles Rams by three points in Super Bowl LVI.
An Anarumo-led defense would be a drastic difference from Bradley's; Bradley favored consistency and simplicity, while Anarumo is known for much more complexity, and the ability to change his scheme each week depending on who his opponent will be. That's much more in line with how head coach Shane Steichen runs his offense, so he could be a good complement to Steichen and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter.
Steve Wilks
Wilks has been a coach in the NFL since 2006, when he was hired by the Chicago Bears as a defensive backs coach. He moved on to the San Diego Chargers before being hired by the Carolina Panthers in 2012 under Don Rivera, serving as a secondary coach and assistant head coach. He left for the Arizona Cardinals in 2018 to serve as head coach, lasting just one season. He moved on to the Cleveland Browns, where he was defensive coordinator for a season; he then left the NFL for college football in 2021 at the University of Missouri. He returned to the NFL in 2022 with the Carolina Panthers, where he served as defensive pass game coordinator and secondary coach. He most recently worked for the San Francisco 49ers in 2023 as defensive coordinator for one season.
After the 49ers lost Super Bowl LVIII, Wilks was fired due to inconsistency on defense; however, the defense took a massive step backwards after he left. And the 49ers still finished the season eighth in yards allowed and third in points allowed. However, the run defense struggled, giving up 149.3 yards per game - and the run defense is already a particular problem for the Colts.
He would not offer as complex a scheme as Anarumo, he is still not nearly as devoted to soft zone coverage of Cover 2 and 3 as Bradley was. He's also known for disguising and changing his coverage between one play to the next to confuse quarterbacks.