For the first time in Chris Ballard’s career with the Indianapolis Colts, they are starting free agency with a huge splash. With a fire being lit under Ballard, it is safe to say that the Colts are trying to set their defense up for success in 2025. The first of the big signings was on defense. This was one of the areas that the Colts needed to improve. On Monday, it was announced that Camryn Bynum will sign a four-year, $60M contract. Bynum is a young, 26-year-old safety who was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2021. His most explosive season came in 2023 in which he wracked up 94 solo tackles, which ranked sixth in the league. He also had two interceptions and three forced fumbles. Ward will be expected to start in favor of Julian Blackmon, as he is the better talent.
On top of signing a strong free-agent safety, Chris Ballard also signed San Francisco 49ers’s cornerback Charvarius Ward. He signed a three-year, $60M contract and will look to be a key asset to the Colts’ secondary. Ward is a veteran defensive back who had a monster 2023 season in which he made the Pro Bowl. In that season alone, he wracked up 23 pass deflections, five interceptions, and one forced fumble. With JuJu Brents having reliability issues due to injury, having a strong starting cornerback will be huge for the secondary. Coupling Ward’s talent with Bynum’s talent will be a big contributing factor to the success of the Colts’ defense.
The Philadelphia Eagles did the impossible in the 2024 NFL season. Their defense went from being one of the worst in the league the previous year to dominating the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. The Colts are in a similar situation in which they were one of the worst defenses in 2024. With a completely new look to their defense, they will strive to do a complete 180 and become one of the best. If the Eagles were able to gain success on defense, so can the Colts, and there are two key elements to get them there.
The biggest move that the Colts made at the close of the season was hiring defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. Widely considered a “mad scientist“, Anarumo has a scheme that exploits the talents of his players. Instead, he utilizes the strengths of his players and calls plays accordingly. Now that the Colts have implemented more talent on defense, the road to success is shorter.
This goes hand-in-hand with a good scheme. If the players execute a good scheme, the defense will have success. The Colts do not have the same kind of defense as the Eagles. They also do not have the same kind of players. However, the Colts do have a lot to prove in 2025, and Ballard has given Anarumo the players he will need to make this unit great. Acquiring Bynum and Ward was a huge starting point for this defense, but the job is not yet done. The Colts still need to shore up some defensive line help. They also need to acquire some depth at linebacker, as EJ Speed is a free agent, and there’s no telling where Zaire Franklin will be after a controversial 2024 season.
Nonetheless, the Colts are off to a good start on defense, and hopefully, the path they are heading will lead them to success. Ballard just needs to keep the momentum going. Indy has a long way to go before they can turn this defense around, but they have the pieces in place to go from one of the worst to one of the best.