While much of the pre-draft talk surrounding the Indianapolis Colts focused on the team’s need to get a tight end, the team also had much bigger holes on defense. The Colts’ defense ranked No. 29 overall in the NFL for 2024, which might be great if there were 108 teams, but sadly for the Colts, there are only 32 teams in the league.
So, basically, the Colts knew they needed to beef up that side of the ball.
Defensive additions in the offseason
The Colts did make some additions to the defense via free agency and the recent 2025 NFL Draft. Notable free agency additions on defense:
-Cornerback Charvarius Ward
-Cornerback Corey Ballentine
-Safety Camryn Bynum
They also added some defensive pieces in the draft that they obviously thought would help:
Round 2:
Pick 45: JT Tuimoloau, DE, Ohio State
Round 3:
Pick 80: Justin Walley, CB, Minnesota
Pick 190 (from Rams via Falcons): Tim Smith, DT, Alabama
Round 7:
Pick 232: Hunter Wohler, LB, Wisconsin
Is that enough? We’ll all find out together. But, Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report doesn’t think so.
Davenport ranks Colts defense #26
Well, technically it’s a step up from last year, but there wasn’t really anywhere to go but up. Davenport writes:
The Indianapolis Colts had a rough season defensively last year. They ranked 29th in the NFL in total defense, 26th against the pass, 24th in the league against the run and 24th in scoring defense.
Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be a clear path to marked improvement in 2025.
Edge-rusher Laiatu Latu was the first defensive player selected last year, but his four-sack rookie season was a disappointment. Fellow edge-rusher Kwity Paye’s career has followed a similar track; there have been flashes, but he has struggled generating consistent pressure off the edge.
The cupboard isn’t completely bare, though. DeForest Buckner is arguably the best 3-technique tackle in the game. The Colts spent big on the secondary in the offseason, signing cornerback Charvarius Ward and safety Camryn Bynum. Linebacker Zaire Franklin led the league last year with 173 total tackles.
But Franklin also missed a whopping 24 tackles last year and has whiffed on 56 tackles total over the past three seasons, and the other linebacker spot in Indy is a question mark.
There’s room for improvement in Indianapolis, but we’ll need to see it to believe it.
Some might see it as amazing that the Colts were only 8-9 last season. Considering the defense was the fourth worst in the entire NFL and the quarterback play was somewhere between poor and average, that’s usually a recipe for a top-five draft pick. The AFC South should be relatively winnable in 2025 if the Colts can tighten up their defense and get at least competent quarterback play.
Colts Defense Receives Unflattering Review from Expert