Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin is thinking big heading into the 2025 season.
The team’s first big move of the offseason was hiring defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and Franklin said on The Jim Rome Show last week that everyone he spoke to at the Pro Bowl had “extreme respect” for the coach. They highlighted Anarumo’s “ability to put players in positions to succeed” and Franklin used that as the start of a sales pitch to impending free agents.
Franklin moved on to the chance to play with him, defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, and cornerback Kenny Moore on a defense that Franklin thinks can be successful on a grand scale.
“We got Pro Bowlers at this point, playmakers at all three levels: myself, DeForest and Kenny Moore,” Franklin said. “So, add another dynamic playmaker to that mix, whether it’s secondary, D-line or linebacker room, is only going to add to that and help make this an all-time unit.”
That might be a bit too lofty an aspiration, but there’s a lot of room to improve from 2024 and the Colts will likely have to show serious progress for the current brain trust to remain in place beyond next season.
