INDIANAPOLIS — Veteran defensive coordinator Gus Bradley is out in Indy.
On Monday, the Colts said they “parted ways” with Bradley, the former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach and one-time defensive coordinator for Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” units in the 2010s. Bradley joined the Colts in 2022 and survived the midseason firing of former Colts coach Frank Reich later that year.
Bradley was retained after last season, but his defense showed further slippage in 2024, leading to his ouster. The Colts’ defense never ranked higher than 24th in points allowed during the 2024 regular season and regressed from 15th in yards allowed during his first season to 29th this season (361.2).
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The defensive performance contributed to the Colts’ 8-9 record and fourth straight season missing the postseason.
“I’m appreciative of Gus and the commitment he made to the Colts,” said head coach Shane Steichen, who found out after Sunday’s win over the Jaguars that he would keep his job. “He is a man of great character, and I have the utmost respect for him. I felt like we needed to move in a different direction. I wish Gus and his family all the best moving forward.”
The Colts had some particularly ugly defensive performances; the unit allowed more than 400 yards of total offense in six of its 17 games. Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, asked earlier Monday about the defense, lamented the regression.
“Since I’ve been a Colt, it’s been our worst year defensively for sure,” said Buckner, who joined the team in 2020. “I feel like, at times, it just felt like we were just a bunch of individuals out there — and it looked like it.”
Monday morning, Steichen said the future of Bradley and other staff members was under review during a season-ending news conference. But he singled out the poor tackling and explosive plays allowed as areas of concern.
“I think the biggest thing was tackling this year,” Steichen said. “That’s something that obviously must improve going forward. Obviously, we gave up some big plays that we can’t have happen, but I will say that those guys fought like crazy over there on defense.”
The Colts allowed 115 explosive plays this season, defined as runs of 10 yards or longer and completions of 20 yards or longer. That was tied for the sixth most in this NFL and was a problem that plagued the team all season. It was a reality check for a defensive scheme that was geared toward preventing explosive gains.
Elsewhere, the Colts also saw a dropoff in the production from their defensive line, by far the most expensive unit on the team. The Colts led the NFL in money spent on defensive linemen this season. Yet, the team witnessed its sack total drop from 51 last season to 36 in 2024. Meanwhile, the quarterback pressure rate fell from 38.9% of dropbacks to 31.5% this season.
Under general manager Chris Ballard, who will remain in his position, the Colts have shown a strong preference for four-man fronts and schemes that employ mostly zone coverages and limited use of blitzes. Whether the Colts will be willing to consider other styles of defenses remains to be seen.
