Colts' Free Agency Moves Reveal One Huge Takeaway

The Indianapolis Colts got busy in the early days of this year's free agency, most notably adding extended firepower on the defensive side of the ball.

For their most significant moves, the Colts brought in a pair of defensive backs: Minnesota Vikings safety Camryn Bynum and San Francisco 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward –– all in an effort to help boost the struggling Indianapolis secondary from the year before.

This was the 26th-ranked team in passing yards allowed through the 2024 campaign. To reach their first playoff appearance of the Shane Steichen era, those numbers will likely need to improve. The Colts have since ensured to make the necessary improvements for that to happen, and as a result, they've gotten considerable praise from the experts.

In the eyes of Pro Football Focus analyst Dalton Wasserman, the Colts' free agency motions signal one major positive sign: Lou Anarumo's vision for an improved defense.

"The Colts spent the majority of their free-agency resources on adding impact players to their secondary," Wasserman wrote. "Safety Cam Bynum and cornerback Charvarius Ward could fit very nicely into Lou Anarumo’s defense. Bynum is an above-average player in run support who flashes in coverage, while Ward has long been one of the league's better zone coverage players."

The Colts' additions add support in both the run and pass game to cover up the holes across last season, effectively providing another layer of versatility Indianapolis didn't have under last year's group led by Gus Bradley.

It's a big, yet necessary investment made into the secondary that clearly needed those improvements. Ward now provides a strong number-one cover corner to tackle tough weekly assignments that the Colts didn't have the benefit of last season, while Bynum brings the skillset Anarumo covets within his safety unit.

Will the immense changes be enough on the defensive end to get Indianapolis over the hump? Those results remain to be seen, but at the very least, Chris Ballard and Co. seem to have brought a bit more aggression into the beginning of this offseason –– a major, and necessary pivot to the front office's processes compared to years past.