Latest news with #LouAnarumo
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Could Colts injury woes push Bengals into a Germaine Pratt trade?
The Cincinnati Bengals remain highly unlikely to find a trade partner for Germaine Pratt. Pratt, after all, has an $8 million cap hit attached to his trade request from earlier this offseason. Tack on his age, what he put on film last year and how obvious it seems that he won't be back and it feels more like he's headed toward being cut. Advertisement Still, what if a team like the Indianapolis Colts gets desperate? Those Colts now have former Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo in the same role. But this goes beyond that simple connection. RELATED: Shemar Stewart's contract beef with Bengals revealed in report Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin had ankle surgery and could miss everything up until training camp, if not into it. Jaylon Carlies, another linebacker, continues to work his way back from shoulder surgery, too. Despite these factors and losses in free agency, the Colts didn't draft a linebacker until the seventh round this year. Advertisement So, perhaps this situation lends itself to helping a Pratt trade happen. Perhaps it escalates if Franklin isn't full-go soon or other injuries occur. It would help if the Bengals would be willing to modify any sort of deal to get Pratt out the door. But knowing them, it's probably unlikely they would give up cash in the process. After drafting Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter, though, it still feels like the Pratt bridge has burned and collapsed, opening the door for ideas like this. RELATED: Bengals takeaways and thoughts on Jermaine Burton, contract drama This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Could Colts injury woes push Bengals into a Germaine Pratt trade?
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Indianapolis Colts' OTAs: The big question at cornerback
The Indianapolis Colts will begin Phase III of the offseason programs on May 28th, which means the start of voluntary Organized Team Activities (OTAs). Rather than only doing individual drills as the Colts have been doing, they will now be permitted to do 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 team drills, although no live contact is allowed. Advertisement So with this important part of the offseason schedule about to begin, I wanted to highlight one big question facing each position group. Up next are the cornerbacks. Below you can find our previous position previews. How deep will Indianapolis Colts' cornerback rotation go? Under new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, there is going to be a much greater reliance on the defensive back position group. With many offenses wanting to push the ball through the passing game, defenses need to be able to match that personnel so they don't find themselves in disadvantageous situations. "It's been a matchup league and certainly if the offense puts out a certain personnel group you want to be able to match it with what they're doing," Anarumo said during offseason programs. "Especially on third down, you want to get cover guys covering receivers. Nowadays, tight ends, the days to me of putting linebackers on tight ends is not ideal for the defense. Advertisement "So you always want to get a bigger, longer athlete that maybe can run a little bit. A DB mindset. So more DBs out there in pure passing situations is something that we've always tried to do and will continue to do." So whether it be with an additional cornerback or safety, we are going to see more dime personnel packages from the Colts, where there are six defensive backs on the field. GM Chris Ballard has reshaped the cornerback room this offseason. This includes signing Charvarius Ward and drafting Justin Walley in the top 100. What we can say right now is that Ward and Kenny Moore will be on the field. But beyond those two, how things shake out at the other starting outside cornerback position remains to be seen. If I were to guess right now, Jaylon Jones is starting Week 1, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are specific down-and-distances where Anarumo tries to get Walley--or perhaps JuJu Brents--involved. Advertisement This new defensive scheme is going to be disguise-heavy to keep opponents off balance and matchup-driven, with flexible game plans based on what the offense runs. So I could see the Colts cornerback rotation this season going four or even five deep, depending on what's needed in a given week. This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts OTAs: Who starts at CB alongside Charvarius Ward, Kenny Moore?
New York Times
14-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Cincinnati Bengals 2025 schedule: Home and road opponents and more on season ahead
The NFL will release the 2025 schedules for all 32 teams at 8 p.m. (ET) Wednesday. Here is what we know about the Cincinnati Bengals' schedule so far. The Bengals will play each team from the AFC East and NFC North, as well as the 2024 third-place teams from the AFC West, NFC South and NFC West. Cincinnati also will see its AFC North division rivals twice, once on the road and once at Paycor Stadium, as part of its 17-game schedule. Here is the lineup of home and road opponents, listed alphabetically. The Bengals went 9-8 in the 2024 regular season, finishing third in the AFC North behind the Ravens and Steelers. They won their final five games but fell just short of a playoff spot. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and offensive line coach Frank Pollack were let go after the disappointing campaign and replaced by Al Golden and Scott Peters, respectively. They'll look to revamp Cincinnati's weak spots, with the defense adding top pick Shemar Stewart, an edge from Texas A&M, South Carolina linebacker Demetrius Knight and Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter in the NFL Draft, while Georgia guard Dylan Fairchild was selected to bolster the offensive line. Come back Wednesday night for the Bengals' week-to-week schedule, plus season analysis and predictions. (Photo of Joe Burrow: Joseph Maiorana / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Breaking down Indianapolis Colts' 2025 seventh-round pick: LB Hunter Wohler
In the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft, the Indianapolis Colts selected Wisconsin safety turned linebacker Hunter Wohler. Let's break down the pick, and if you missed our other recaps, you can find them below. Advertisement Hunter Wohler's profile Height: 6-02 Weight: 213 Age: 22 College profile Breaking down the Indianapolis Colts' pick Wohler played safety at Wisconsin, accumulating over 1,800 defensive snaps across four seasons, which included being a starter the final two years. Throughout his career, he's been a very reliable tackler, and that, of course, has made him a strong run defender. In coverage this most recent season, Wohler held opponents to a completion rate of 59% on 27 targets, giving up 11.8 yards per catch, while forcing six pass breakups. As we saw the Colts do last season with Jaylon Carlies, Wohler is going to play some linebacker in Lou Anarumo's defense. During his career at Wisconsin, the bulk of Wohler's snaps came near the line of scrimmage, either down in the box or lined up in the slot. Advertisement So playing closer to the line of scrimmage and helping out in the run game won't be uncharted waters for him, and as a safety, he can add some more coverage ability to the linebacker position for the Colts. While the Colts will list Wohler as a safety, Chris Ballard wasn't going to pigeon-hole him to that position either, adding that Wohler could still see snaps at safety, specifically when the Colts are in dime, which we will see a lot more of under Anarumo. Wohler gives the Colts flexibility in Anarumo's versatile scheme because he can handle a variety of roles, and he provides some needed depth at the linebacker position. Wohler's greatest impact in Year 1 may end up coming on special teams, where he has his share of experience. Hunter Wohler's scouting report Lance Zierlein: "Two-year starting safety whose activity level reaches beyond what his athletic capabilities can handle at times. Wohler spent much of his time as an add-on run defender who rushed in to be part of the action. He's a run-and-hit tackler in space but a lack of burst and top-end speed causes him to lose pursuit angles and miss out on tackles. He can cover tight ends but doesn't have the range to play over the top or the open-field athleticism to survive against NFL receivers in space. Special teams play could be the key to Wohler maintaining a roster spot as an NFL backup at strong safety." They said it Tyler Hughes, area scout: 'With Hunter, the versatility was the key thing, especially later in the draft," said Hughes via the Indy Star. "He's played a lot of down linebacker, he's played strong safety, he's played free safety, he was the punt returner this year, which shows that he's a reliable dude and coaches trust him. Super smart. He's going to be a great special teams player for us. Advertisement 'With how much sub-package we're in, in the NFL nowadays, that dime linebacker role is nice for him, but that's not going to limit him to play strong safety or free safety. He has the frame to play all of them.' Hunter Wohler's athletic profile This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Breaking down Colts' pick of LB Hunter Wohler
USA Today
20-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Report: Colts DC Lou Anarumo at UCLA Pro Day
Report: Colts DC Lou Anarumo at UCLA Pro Day Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was reportedly in attendance at the UCLA Pro Day recently. Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was in attendance at the UCLA Pro Day recently, according to Kai Dizon of the Daily Bruin. This time of the year, it's incredibly common for teams to have representatives at the various Pro Days that are taking place, but it always feels particularly noteworthy when it's a coordinator or the head coach who are more selective in where they spend their time. The top-ranked UCLA defender on PFF's big board is linebacker Carson Schwesinger. This, of course, is still a big need that the Colts have to fill. They need depth at linebacker and someone to start next to Zaire Franklin. In a recent mock draft from Jordan Reid of ESPN, he had the Colts selecting Schwesinger in the second round: "The Colts need to find an instinctive and rangy running mate next to middle linebacker Zaire Franklin," Reid wrote. "Schwesinger is exactly that, as he's a savvy run defender who can step downhill when needed. He also has a great feel in pass defense, possessing the hip mobility to operate in space." Another name from the UCLA defense to know is defensive end Oluwafemi Oladejo. This is a position where depth is again a need after losing Dayo Odeyingbo in free agency. There is also quite a bit of production that is lost as well, with Odeyingbo having led the team in pressures last season. Linebacker Kain Medrano and defensive tackle Jay Toia are two other UCLA draft prospects on PFF's big board.
