Colts’ Lou Anarumo Requested for Head Coach Interview

The Tennessee Titans have formally requested an interview with Lou Anarumo for their vacant head coaching position, per NFL insider Tom Pelissero, adding another layer of volatility to an already uncertain Indianapolis Colts offseason. The request comes as Tennessee accelerates a search shaped by organizational reset and urgency.

The Titans have requested an interview with Colts DC Lou Anarumo for their head coaching job, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 5, 2026

For Indianapolis, the timing matters. It is a live possibility that could reshape the structure of a defense that flashed early in the 2025 season, then regressed into one of the league’s least reliable units.

Anarumo has served as the Colts' defensive coordinator for just one year, inheriting a unit that required stability more than flash. Early in the 2025 season, that stability showed, as Indianapolis consistently punched above its weight defensively.

The Colts opened the year with cohesion, communication, and situational discipline. Opponents were forced to earn everything, and games stayed manageable despite offensive production.

Then the calendar flipped. As injuries mounted and the schedule tightened, the defense began to come apart at the seams, giving up explosive plays and struggling to get off the field when it mattered most.

That late-season collapse reshaped the perception of Anarumo’s tenure. What once looked like a strength turned into a weekly stress point, mainly against competent passing attacks.

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#Colts defense has had MASSIVE holes in the middle of the second and third level all season.
— John Dissauer (@johndissauer) January 4, 2026

And yet, context matters. According to Pro Football Focus, Indianapolis finished the season ranked as the league’s 26th overall defense, revealing efficiency issues that outweighed any early-season stability.

Anarumo’s résumé extends well beyond this season. He previously served as defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2019 through 2024, helping engineer a Super Bowl run built on adaptability rather than raw talent.

His defenses have never been about overwhelming opponents. They are about forcing hesitation, disguising intent, and surviving long enough for margins to matter.

That approach may appeal to Tennessee. The Titans are navigating front-office change and cultural recalibration after a disappointing 2025 season, and experience carries weight in moments like this.

Mike Vrabel is 14-3.
The Titans are 3-14.

Maybe the wrong guy got blamed.
— Sam Block (@theblockspot) January 4, 2026

The modern NFL leans offense, but stability still wins in January. Anarumo represents a candidate who has navigated postseason pressure and locker rooms with competing expectations.

From a Colts perspective, there is an uncomfortable but honest counterpoint. Given how the defense trended down the stretch, Anarumo taking a head coaching job elsewhere may not be the worst outcome.

Indianapolis needs answers on that side of the ball. Whether those answers come from evolution or replacement remains unresolved.

The Titans’ interview process allows for virtual meetings beginning January 6, with Anarumo eligible given the Colts’ absence from the postseason. No further updates have been reported as of now.

This situation is fluid, and Indianapolis is not the only team watching closely. Coaching carousels rarely wait for perfect timing.

If Anarumo departs, the Colts will face a decision point. Do they double down on structure, or pivot toward a more aggressive, modern defensive identity?

For now, the only certainty is uncertainty. In an offseason already defined by transition, that alone forces Indianapolis to confront what it wants this defense to become.

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