In general, the Indianapolis Colts require better performance on the defensive side of the game. This offseason clearly highlighted the focus, as the team appointed Lou Anarumo as defensive coordinator, brought in free agents Charvarius Ward and Cam Bynum, and used two top-100 selections on that side of the field.
This unit needs to improve in several crucial areas, such as pass defense and creating a more reliable pass rush. Nonetheless, Bill Barnwell from ESPN recently pointed out one particular aspect that the Colts’ defense needs to enhance: tackling.
Next Gen Stats reveals that the Colts were the sole team with four players achieving a minimum of 100 tackles, yet their efficiency was lacking. The Colts surrendered a league-leading 1,183 yards due to missed tackles and recorded over 10 missed tackles in all but six games.
In terms of sheer numbers, no team missed as many tackles as the Colts did in 2024, and the gap was significant.
Barnwell would emphasize that the incorporations of Bynum and Ward should significantly aid the Colts in this aspect. According to ESPN, Bynum’s career missed tackle rate stands at only 7.1%, whereas Ward boasts the lowest missed tackle rate of any player since 2018.
Barnwell would additionally note that linebacker Jaylon Carlies–although the sample size was limited–failed to complete only 5.3% of his tackle attempts during his rookie season.
“Will better tackling make the Colts a great defense? No,” wrote Barnwell. “But this was a team that ranked 30th in third-down conversion rate (44.4%) a year ago, in part because Colts defenders couldn’t make tackles short of the sticks. Better tackling will get them off the field.”
Along with those additions, Anarumo’s more aggressive scheme can hopefully have players better positioned to make plays, and more players in the area of the ball carrier to help bring him down.
To state the obvious, sound tackling limits yards after the catch and yards after contact in the run game. That then helps limit explosive plays and can create longer down-and-distances, which should result in the defense getting off the field more regularly.