The Indianapolis Colts have their next defensive coordinator in place. Head coach Shane Steichen and company are now turning to a former AFC champion to run the unit post Gus Bradley.
The franchise is nabbing ex-Cincinnati Bengals coordinator Lou Anarumo, per ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter Monday. Anarumo brings with him a past AFC championship ring in tow to Indy.
He served as defensive coordinator of Cincy from 2019 to 2024. Zac Taylor hired Anarumo after taking the Bengals head coaching job in '19. Taylor first hired him away from the New York Giants, where he coached the defensive backs.
The Colts become Anarumo's third DC stop. He previously led the Miami Dolphins unit on an interim basis in 2015. Anarumo got fired following the 2024 season after missing the playoffs for the second straight year.
Can new Colts DC fix what Gus Bradley left behind?

Anarumo will aim to redeem himself from '24. His Bengals defense fell to 26th in points allowed and 30th overall in defensive red zone efficiency, per ESPN research.
But he's also coming in to fix a broken defense Bradley bequeaths. The Colts parted ways with Bradley two weeks ago. That decision ended a three season run in Indy for Bradley.
Bradley's final Colts defense stumbled to 29th in yards allowed and 24th in scoring defense. Indianapolis struggled the most against the pass — historically Bradley's top area of expertise. Indianapolis fell to 26th overall there.
The Colts did pick off 16 passes with Bradley coaching the unit — with seven different players grabbing an interception. But Bradley's scheme struggled with containing the ground game. Indianapolis surrendered 100 or more rushing yards in 11 games.
Bradley did gain strong backers inside the locker room. DeForest Buckner defended Bradley despite the defense's struggles.
Bradley's scheme now gets scrapped. The predecessor ran a four-man pressure look mixed with zone coverages. Anarumo favors a more complex approach — but one that switches off to attack an opponent's weakness.
Anarumo mixes his coverages to throw off opposing quarterbacks. His philosophy proved successful in the 2021 season AFC title game against the Kansas City Chiefs, then the 2022 divisional round win over the Buffalo Bills.