Lou Anarumo's Former Player Pipeline Has Intensified Throughout the Colts Offseason

Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has been trying to replicate his success from the Cincinnati Bengals' Super Bowl run in 2021 for half a decade now.

Anarumo was instrumental in said run, earning the nickname 'The Mad Scientist' for his complex antics on the defensive side of the ball. The Bengals had an even better regular-season record in the year following, but after falling to the Chiefs in their AFC Championship rematch, Cincinnati's window quickly closed.

As a result, Anarumo was fired from his defensive coordinator duties that he'd had for six seasons, and found a fresh start with the Indianapolis Colts ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Nowadays, the Colts regime's back is against the wall, and Anarumo has convinced general manager Chris Ballard to reunite him with some of his key contributors during his time in Cincinnati.

While Ballard has recently reversed course on 'liking his guys,' resulting in parting ways with multiple longtime contributors throughout this offseason, he's now referring to Anarumo on which defenders to add to the mix.

General managers working alongside their head coach and coordinators is by no means out of the ordinary, but Ballard once showed an unwillingness to part ways with those he drafted and developed. This sentimental stranglehold kept guys around for much longer than they should've been, but now Ballard is willing to admit defeat, regardless of whether or not this 'choice' is anything other than a last-ditch effort.

Lou Anarumo's Former Player Pipeline

Linebacker Joe Bachie was originally the only player to follow Lou Anarumo to Indy once he was named the Colts' next defensive coordinator, a longtime special teamer who was poised to fill out their linebacker room outside of Zaire Franklin.

After that experiment quickly failed throughout the early stages of the 2025 regular season, the Colts released Bachie and soon thereafter signed veteran linebacker Germaine Pratt following his mid-season release from the Las Vegas Raiders.

Pratt was Lou Anarumo's starting linebacker for the majority of their tenures in Cincinnati, starting in 88 of 96 games throughout their six seasons together. He played well for the Colts last season, totaling 101 tackles, eight passes broken up, one interception, and five tackles for loss in 12 games started.

The Colts have elected to not re-sign Germaine Pratt this offseason as they get younger and faster in the front seven, instead adding numerous rookies to the mix, but this mid-season experiment from Anarumo's first year leading the defense goes to show this pipeline is a worthwhile one.

Although Indianapolis has not re-signed Pratt, they have added two former Anarumo Bengals defenders this offseason, signing linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt.

The Colts were also reportedly serious contenders for star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson before he was ultimately traded to the Baltimore Ravens earlier this offseason, but if nothing else, this interest proves that Anarumo has a valued voice regarding potential acquisition to the defense.

Indianapolis drafted two linebackers with their first four picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, adding Georgia's CJ Allen (53rd overall) and Oregon's Bryce Boettcher (135th overall), and also signed multiple undrafted free agent linebackers.

Linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither

This attempt at getting younger and faster at the position also includes the aforementioned signing of linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither. He will be 29 years old this coming season, but his familiarity with Anarumo is enough to warrant keeping a veteran in the mix.

"I built up a great relationship with Lou [Anarumo] during our time in Cincinnati," Davis-Gaither explained.

"I trust him, I trust the system, and I trust his ability to call a good defense."

Despite their five seasons together in Cincinnati, Akeem Davis-Gaither only started 11 games in 71 possible, including 7 starts during their last year together in 2024. After Anarumo left for Indianapolis, Davis-Gaither become a full-time starter for the first time in Arizona, totaling 117 tackles, two tackles for loss, one interceptions, and five passes broken up in 13 starts for the Cardinals.

Davis-Gaither discussed with local Colts media in his first media availability on what he learned from said experience.

"You gain a lot of experience whether it's good or bad," Davis-Gaither explained. "You go through ups and downs of an NFL season, so you're able to learn from a different perspective other than watching film and things like that...you really learn the game from a starter's point of view."

The Colts likely have their green dot of the foreseeable future in rookie linebacker CJ Allen, but the WILL linebacker role is up for grabs, and Akeem Davis-Gaither is projected to fill said opening in Lou Anarumo's defense.

Cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt

As for cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, his road to starting under Anarumo is far less likely given the returning starting duo of Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward. He is also coming off a Lisfranc injury that required surgery and ended his season early, but he's expected to be full go by the time training camp rolls around.

Taylor-Britt started in 38 of 39 games played for the Bengals in three seasons under Anarumo (2022-25). He will bring a ballhawking presence to the Colts' cornerback room, as he's totaled 38 passes broken up and seven interceptions in four seasons in the league.

When it comes to reuniting with Anarumo, Taylor-Britt smiled big during his first media availability with the Colts as he recounted his time in his defense.

"That's my dawg," Taylor-Britt said of Anarumo. "That's all I can really say, man. That's one of the big reasons I'm here, man. We had a great relationship while I was attending the Bengals when they drafted me."

Outside of the relationship they established, Taylor-Britt feels as though his playstyle and Anarumo's preferences are a perfect match.

I think it's his scheme, man." Taylor-Britt on why he and Anarumo mesh so well together.

Taylor-Britt only appeared in eight games last season due to his aforementioned Lisfranc injury, but is poised to return to form in 2026. When healthy, he's proven to be a viable starter, therefore the prospect of having him as a rotational piece is incredibly intriguing.

The Colts entered last summer with their deepest cornerback room in recent memory, but after an onslaught of injuries, both pre and mid-season, said depth evaporated. After fast-forwarding to this summer, Indianapolis' outlook looks even stronger with Sauce Gardner leading the charge, but health will be this position room's greatest challenge moving forward.

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