After losing seven straight games to finish the season again under .500, the Indianapolis Colts may also lose their defensive coordinator.
The Tennessee Titans requested to speak with Lou Anarumo for their head-coaching vacancy, according to Tom Pelissaro of NFL Media.
Anarumo is one of the hottest coaching candidates this cycle. The New York native had spent the previous six seasons as the defensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals, helping them reach Super Bowl LVI and the AFC Championship Game in 2022 before he was fired in 2024.
Cincinnati’s defense cratered this season, and the Colts defense jumped to 23rd in yards-against per game and 21st in points-against per game from 29th and 24th, respectively, under Anarumo.
Anarumo, 59, has never been an NFL head coach but reportedly was a finalist for the Arizona Cardinals position before Jonathan Gannon got the job after the 2022 NFL season.
The Titans finished 3-14 for the second season in a row. They fired head coach Brian Callahan on Oct. 13 after he went 4-19 over 23 games in Nashville and are trying to replace him.
The Titans Requested An Interview With Lou Anarumo
It is rare for any team to deny a head-coaching interview request from any rival team, even division rivals, unless that team is trying to poach the club’s head coach.
So, because the Colts announced both Shane Steichen and GM Chris Ballard would return in 2026, Anarumo is almost a lock to interview with the Titans in the days ahead.
The Colts lack defensive playmakers, especially since trade-deadline acquisition Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner missed four of the Colts’ final five games due to injuries.
Still, the Colts allowed about 29 points per game over their final seven games and surrendered about 28 per game over their 1-8 stretch over their final nine. Some of that can be pinned on Indianapolis’ offense, which ranked 20th in the NFL in plays per game this season and slid dramatically after quarterback Daniel Jones was injured.
Still, Anarumo has pedigree and has NFL defenses for more than a decade, which is why he is being considered.
There Are A Lot Of Options If Lou Anarumo Takes A Head Coaching Job
It isn’t a lock that the Titans will choose Anarumo, even though they have asked to speak with him. Pelissaro also reported Tennessee has put in inquiries to speak with offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo of the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
Still, if you’re worried about the Colts defense suffering if they lose their DC for the second straight year, there are options. Gannon was let go by the Cardinals on Monday and has ties to Steichen, since they both helped the Philadelphia Eagles reach the Super Bowl in 2022 under Nick Sirianni.
Gannon even was the Colts cornerbacks coach under Frank Reich, alongside Sirianni, in 2020.
If Gannon doesn’t rev your engines, maybe Matt Eberflus could go back to Indy, since he was of course the Colts DC in 2020 too. Eberflus spent four seasons as the defensive coordinator before he took the Chicago Bears head coaching role in 2021, and he is likely to be fired by the Dallas Cowboys after serving as DC there in 2025.
Indianapolis’ defense finished in the top-10 in points-allowed per game in three of Eberflus’ four seasons as DC, and it’s no surprise the Colts made the playoffs twice in that span.
AFC South Rival Requests to Interview Colts DC Lou Anarumo for Head Coach Vacancy