The Indianapolis Colts made a big change to kick off their offseason by parting ways with their defensive coordinator, Gus Bradley.
After an extensive search with multiple highly respected candidates, they ultimately hired Lou Anarumo , who was most recently with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2024, to be their new DC. This is a drastic defensive philosophy shift, which will likely lead to the team making multiple moves to make their roster a better fit for Anarumo's system. Luckily for them, there are some notable free agents who played under Anarumo, with the Bengals set to hit the market. Below are some that I think would be a good fit for the Colts to consider signing when free agency opens in March.
Free agents from Lou Anarumo's past that the Colts could look to sign
Akeem Davis Gaither, LB
The Colts might lose Zaire Franklin's partner in crime in the linebacker room this offseason, with E.J. Speed set to become a free agent. And a large portion of the fan base would prefer to see the team go in a different direction. If they do, Akeem Davis-Gaither is set to hit free agency and was a captain for Anarumo's defense. Davis-Gaither had the third most tackles on the Bengals' defense in 2024, trailing two other members in the team's linebacker room, Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt, both of which had significantly more snaps than Davis-Gaither.
His 82 tackles were far and away the most of his career, with his previous season high being 46 in 2022. I think Davis-Gaither would be a tremendous rotational LB with a lot of experience on special teams. But if the Colts move on from EJ Speed, signing Davis-Gaither would give them a player comfortable in Anarumo's system and could help get everyone around him on the same page early.
Vonn Bell, S
Another captain under Anarumo with the Bengals was safety Vonn Bell. Bell will be entering his 10th season in the NFL, four of which came with Anarumo as his defensive coordinator. The Colts need to improve both their safety and corner rooms this offseason, and Bell seems like an easy fit in Anarumo's defense. Like Davis-Gaither, I think Bell would be best signed as a rotational piece but could be a candidate to start early if the Colts elect to use the draft to address their need at safety instead of a high-dollar free agent.
B.J. Hill, DT
The Colts tried to add a solid rotational nose tackle last offseason by signing former Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Raekwon Davis. Davis got a late start to the year after missing most of training camp due to an unannounced reason. And he could never find his footing to make a real impact with the Colts. He seems like an apparent cap casualty cut ahead of free agency. And Bengals DT B.J. Hill would be a great option to replace him. There is a chance that Hill gets offers from teams that would allow him to be a full-time starter like he was with the Bengals over the last three seasons. But if his market isn't as robust as he is hoping, reuniting him with Anarumo would give the Colts a reliable backup who could also be trusted to play enough to keep Grover Stewart fresh and healthy.
Joseph Ossai, Edge
This one would probably be a favorite amongst fans because edge rusher Joseph Ossai offers the most potential long-term of any free agent mentioned in this article. Ossai is coming off the best year of his young three-year NFL career. He set career highs across the board with five sacks, 46 total tackles, four tackles for loss, and 15 QB hits. He really came on late in the year, with all five of his sacks occurring from November to January,
One of the Colts' top in-house free agents is Dayo Odeyingbo, and the team saw their 2023 sack leader Samson Ebukam tear his Achilles in training camp ahead of the 2024 season. If Odeyingbo gets high-dollar offers on the market, they could look to add a player like Ossai to fill Odeyingbo's role. And if Ebukam is released or looks like he is not the same player after his injury, the player the Colts sign could end up needing to play significantly more snaps than fans may realize.
