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Colts’ Top 3 Needs (and Options) to Maximize Lou Anarumo’s Defense

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Colts’ Top 3 Needs (and Options) to Maximize Lou Anarumo’s Defense


The Indianapolis Colts have reportedly hired Lou Anarumo to be their next defensive coordinator. The former Cincinnati Bengals signal-caller will bring an innovative and unique style to Indianapolis next season (and hopefully beyond).

The Colts have several good pieces to offer Anarumo, including former Pro Bowl nickel cornerback Kenny Moore II and former All-Pro DeForest Buckner. Grover Stewart should also excel in the same scheme that D.J. Reader once thrived in with the Bengals. Aside from those three staples, the rest of the Colts’ defense could be in limbo going forward.

The Colts need to add some veteran help to raise the floor of this defense, or the team could face the same issues the Bengals faced last season. The Colts must bring in veterans for these three roles this offseason for Anarumo’s defense to be successful in 2025.

Coverage Linebacker

Dodson

Jan 5, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Miami Dolphins linebacker Tyrel Dodson (11) celebrates his interception with safety Jordan Poyer (21) during the first quarter against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Anarumo’s linebackers are the core of what he wants to do on defense. Back in his peak years with the Bengals, Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt were fantastic coverage players that made an impact in the passing game. The Colts, in contrast, haven’t had a premier coverage linebacker since Bobby Okereke and Shaquille Leonard left town.

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The Colts must look to free agency to improve upon this weakness. Zaire Franklin can be an adequate cover guy, and rookie Jaylon Carlies showed some impressive flashes, but the team needs to add to the room with those guys. E.J. Speed is simply not the answer for this scheme alongside those two aforementioned players.

Tyrel Dodson (Miami Dolphins), Cody Barton (Denver Broncos), and/or Ernest Jones (Seattle Seahawks) could be viable options to upgrade the Colts’ current roster. Dodson, in particular, is an intriguing option, as the athletic linebacker finished last season with three interceptions (most among all linebackers in the league).

Centerfield Safety

Hollan

Sep 8, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) fumbles the football after a tackle from Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland (8) during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The other massive need to address this offseason is deep centerfield safety. Anarumo likes to play out of a single-high structure, and a sideline-to-sideline free safety is a must for his system to survive. In his best years with the Bengals, Jessie Bates was the star roamer over the top.

The Colts have a young strong safety coming off of a career-best season in Nick Cross, but they desperately need a legit cover guy next to him. Julian Blackmon had his worst career season in 2024, and he shouldn’t be an option to start again next year. The Colts need outside help either in the draft or in free agency to improve at free safety.

Jevon Holland (Dolphins), Trevon Moehrig (Las Vegas Raiders), and/or Justin Reid (Kansas City Chiefs) are among the options that could make sense in free agency. Holland would be particularly interesting if he hits the market, but Moehrig could be an interesting consolation prize if he doesn’t.

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Veteran Help at Cornerback

Reed

Oct 6, 2024; Tottenham, ENG; New York Jets Defensive Back D.J. Reed (4) complains about a foul in the 2nd Quarter against Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images / Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images

As it currently stands, the Colts only have two playable outside cornerbacks on the roster (Samuel Womack, Jaylon Jones). JuJu Brents has not shown the ability to stay healthy, and after him, the cupboard is bare on the roster. The Colts must add some veteran competition to the room to alleviate some growing pains to the new system.

On the higher end, the Colts could look into players like D.J. Reed (New York Jets), Charvarius Ward (San Francisco 49ers), and/or Rasul Douglas (Buffalo Bills) to come in and immediately start next season. Reed, in particular, would be an excellent fit alongside Jones on the outside as a starter.

Even on the lower end, the Colts could look at players like Benjamin St. Juste (Washington Commanders), Shaquill Griffin (Minnesota Vikings), and/or Eric Stokes (Green Bay Packers) simply to come in and compete this offseason. These players, at the very least, would be upgrades over the Colts’ current backups on the team.

Need your fill on daily Colts’ content? Head over to the Locked On Colts’ YouTube channel where Jake Arthur and Zach Hicks hit on all the major topics surrounding this team. Hit that subscribe button while you are there!

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Indianapolis councilman says ‘No Data Centers’ note was left at his home after someone opened fire

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Indianapolis councilman says ‘No Data Centers’ note was left at his home after someone opened fire


The home of a councilman in Indianapolis was shot at early Monday in what local police said was an “isolated, targeted incident.”

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The incident came less than a week after the Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission voted 6 to 2 on April 1 to approve rezoning to allow the construction of a data center.

Ron Gibson, a Democrat who represents District 8 on the council, spoke out in support of the rezoning and the efforts to build the data center in his district.

“Earlier this morning, between approximately 12:45 a.m. and 12:50 a.m., just a few hours after Easter Sunday, an individual fired 13 rounds at the front door of my home and left a note on my doorstep that read, ‘No Data Centers,’” Gibson said in a Monday statement.


“No Data Centers” note, according to a photo taken by Councilman Ron Gibson. 

Councilman Ron Gibson

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The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said it was called to the home on Monday morning, and officers found evidence that gunshots had been fired at the house. Police said no injuries were reported.

“I understand that public service can bring strong opinions and disagreement, but violence is never the answer, especially when it puts families at risk,” Gibson said in his statement.

The Indianapolis-Marion County City-County Council did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

The data center is set to be built by Metrobloks, a data center developer based in Los Angeles. Following the vote last week, Gibson shared a statement on social media promoting the project.

“Metrobloks has the potential to bring significant investment, create jobs, and generate long-term tax revenue that supports infrastructure, housing, and essential services,” the statement said.

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A data center boom is happening across the US, with companies pouring billions into building the infrastructure to keep up with demand in the era of AI. The data centers have faced increased opposition, with critics pointing to the high resource costs, from water to energy, and other issues like noise pollution, as detailed in a Business Insider investigation.





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Recorder Rewind: NCAA Division III basketball championship (Photos)

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Recorder Rewind: NCAA Division III basketball championship (Photos)


The University of Mary Washington men’s basketball team won the 2026 NCAA Division III national championship on April 5, defeating Emory University 75-73 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to secure the first national title in program history.



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Indianapolis City-County Councilor says IMPD officer shoved him during protest

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Indianapolis City-County Councilor says IMPD officer shoved him during protest


INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis City-County Councilor says he was shoved by a police officer during a protest Saturday night.

In a post on Facebook, Jesse Brown — who represents council district 13 — indicated that a member of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department approached a group of protestors and began shoving and grabbing them.

“Tonight, an IMPD officer approached a group of protestors from behind/beside them, did not identify himself or issue verbal orders, but started grabbing and shoving people and cussing at them to move (we were stuck behind other people blocking the sidewalk),” Brown wrote on Facebook.

Brown added that he asked the officer for his badge number and told him he was a City-County Councilor.

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“I told the IMPD officer who was shoving people that I wanted his badge number,” Brown wrote. “He refused to give it. I told him I was a City Councilor. He said that he didn’t care WHO I was and grabbed my arm to shove me as well.”

Brown finished his post by confirming that he filed a formal incident report on his encounter with the officer. He also offered some criticism for the officer in the final sentence of his post.

“Officers have a difficult job, but if this is how he treated two white male candidates / elected officials, I do not trust him to serve the public and de-escalate tense situations.”

Jackson Franklin, who is running for Indiana’s fifth district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, was also involved in the incident. He made a Facebook post with greater detail on the incident.

Franklin said he, Brown and others were protesting near Lucas Oil Stadium ahead of Saturday’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four games. Franklin said he and other protestors were at the Final Four “to demand the NCAA stop using the same airliners that ICE uses to break apart and deport families in this racist injustice system.”

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A report from The Athletic that was syndicated by Yahoo Sports indicates that at least one airliner has contracts with the NCAA to transport student-athletes to tournaments and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport undocumented immigrants.

In his post, Franklin said the officer involved in the incident “shoved/assaulted many of the protestors, including Indianapolis City-council person Jesse Brown.” Franklin added that the officer did not provide any warnings before he began shoving protestors

“I thought initially it was going to be some MAGA person just walking past that was offended by our anti-ICE chants, but I turned around and noticed that he was wearing a uniform,” Franklin wrote in his Facebook post. “It was only then he gave his commands to continue to move and he immediately went to push around many others, using his uniform as an excuse to harass those he disagreed with politically.

“There was absolutely no need for violence and the protest organizers filed a complaint, but I have no hope of any action occurring because of this complaint. While the lone officer assaulted us, there were about 10-15 other officers looking around awkwardly unsure of what to do, not protecting our first amendment right while also probably realizing the officer was way out of line and should have just asked us nicely to keep the movement on the public sidewalk going quicker rather than using violence as the first and only answer.”

FOX59/CBS4 reached out to IMPD for a statement on Brown and Franklin’s comments. As of this article’s publication, the agency had not responded to those inquiries.

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Brown has been at the center of multiple city-county council disputes over the last 14 months. In February 2025, Brown — whose district encompasses portions of downtown and the near east side of Indy — said the city-county council’s democratic caucus expelled him from their ranks.

Brown also introduced a motion to remove the council’s president and vice president in July.

As of this article’s publication, no additional information on the incident Brown, Franklin and others were involved in had been made available.

This is a developing story; check back for updates.

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