Colts hit home run with DC hire but have plenty more questions to answer

The Indianapolis Colts have hired Lou Anarumo to be their new defensive coordinator. That might not sound appealing when thinking about just how awful the Cincinnati Bengals defense was this past season, but how much of that was Anarumo's fault?

Was it Anarumo's fault that the Bengals allowed Jessie Bates to walk? Was it Anarumo's fault that the Bengals replaced D.J. Reader with Sheldon Rankins? The talent on the defensive side of the ball was sorely lacking, and the results showed just that. Anarumo's track record speaks for itself. There's a reason he had several interested teams immediately after his firing.

While it's pretty hard to criticize this hire in particular for the Colts, that whole organization still has plenty of questions to answer.

Lou Anarumo only answers one of many Colts questions

Anarumo slots in nicely as Indianapolis' defensive coordinator, but as their 8-9 record suggests, the Colts had more than just a defensive coordinator issue in 2024. There are many questions that they must answer.

First, is Shane Steichen a good coach? The Colts narrowly missed out on the playoffs in Steichen's first season as the team's head coach despite Anthony Richardson missing most of the year due to injury. That impressive season gave Colts fans reason to believe that the 2024 team would find its way back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen. The Colts went 8-9 despite playing in arguably the league's worst division and missed the playoffs. Their season came to an end after an embarrassing Week 17 loss against the New York Giants.

Not only did the team underperform relative to expectations, but the Colts didn't see much, if any, development from Richardson in his sophomore season on or off the field. Richardson struggled for the most part under center and was benched for two games during the season due to issues with his off-field preparation. Richardson also notably took himself out of a game early in the season.

Speaking of Richardson, his future in Indianapolis is another question the Colts must answer. The Colts selected Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft expecting him to be the long-term solution they desperately needed at the quarterback position. His first season was essentially a wash due to injury, but he had a chance to show that he could be relied on as the guy. He wound up doing anything but that.

In 11 games, Richardson completed just 47.7 percent of his throws for 1,814 yards and threw four more interceptions (12) than touchdown passes (8). Richardson obviously has the rushing upside, but his accuracy was a major question coming out of college. He has done nothing in the NFL to ease those concerns. Completing less than 50 percent of passes at the NFL level is nothing short of unacceptable.

Richardson is just 22 years old, and the Colts won't be picking high enough in a weak QB class to address the position in a meaningful way in the 2025 NFL Draft. With that being said, though, how long of a leash does Richardson have? Right now, despite his rushing upside, he does not look like a starting-caliber quarterback, let alone the franchise guy the Colts expected him to be at one point, on or off the field.

Steichen and Richardson in particular have a lot to prove this upcoming season. It's nice that the Colts got the defensive coordinator pick right, but they're anything but settled at head coach or quarterback. Steichen and Richardson have a lot to prove.