Colts just gave Lou Anarumo something he never had as Bengals DC
The Indianapolis Colts reign supreme in the AFC at 7-2, and they stand to improve even more with a huge trade deadline addition to boost former Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's unit.
Daniel Jones, Jonathan Taylor, and the offense have carried the load for Indy en route to averaging a league-best 32.3 points per game through Week 9. However, Anarumo has done a fine job in his maiden campaign as the Colts' defensive coordinator in his own right, pulling in several former Bengals in the process.
Indianapolis went back to the Cincinnati well to some degree on Tuesday — only for an ex-Bearcat, not an ex-Bengal.
Colts' Sauce Gardner trade is the all-in move Bengals exec Duke Tobin is allergic to, and it cost Cincinnati Lou Anarumo
I've made the case ad nauseam that the Bengals front office, led by the too-long-tenured Duke Tobin, should stop blowing the draft and just start spending picks on established veterans.
Case in point: Lou Anarumo just got a spectacular addition to his secondary hours before the NFL trade deadline, as Colts GM Chris Ballard swung a stunning trade for New York Jets superstar cornerback Sauce Gardner.
NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported that the Jets will receive wide reciever AD Mitchell and two first-round picks in what I'm calling the New York Sauce Exchange. Can I trademark that?
For a shot-caller who was crucial in getting the Bengals to Super Bowl LVI and an AFC Championship Game, it's painfully clear in 2025 that Anarumo was making the best lemonade he could with a bunch of lemony players in recent years. His cornerback group was a bad joke for the most part — and that's noteworthy, since Anarumo's background is steeped in defensive backfield assistant gigs.
The best boundary corner Anarumo had the pleasure of coaching in Cincinnati had to be Chidobe Awuzie. Nickelback Mike Hilton was almost a glorified hybrid linebacker/safety type. He's one of the vets who's joined Anarumo on the Colts.
Indianapolis is tied for sixth in sacks, and ranks 10th in opponent passer rating (85.8). That's with a bunch of non-household names at cornerback. Plug Sauce Gardner into the mix, and just imagine how good that Colts defense is going to be for the foreseeable future.
This Sauce Gardner trade is precisely the type of big swing the Bengals refuse to make time and again. They cling with stubbornness to draft capital that goes to waste, and watch other teams pass them by with ease. It's a sad way to spend the bulk of Joe Burrow's prime, which dating back to 2023, has featured two major injuries and woeful defenses throughout.
DJ Turner's Year 3 emergence came too little, too late to save Anarumo's job with the Bengals. Other than that, what did Tobin and Co. do to help him?
They let stud safety Jessie Bates walk in free agency. That continues to haunt the position group. Anarumo has a solid defensive line in Indianapolis. Once the Bengals didn't re-sign DJ Reader, their defensive tackle rotation was a joke outside of B.J. Hill.
Now we know for sure Anarumo wasn't at fault in Cincinnati. He'll only continue to prove that for the Colts thanks to Gardner locking down one side of the field.
Good luck to current Bengals DC Al Golden. The team isn't going to help him with a move for a star anywhere near Sauce's caliber any time soon.
Who Dey Nation, I'm here to help. Gas me up for Tobin's job please.
— Matt Fitzgerald (@MattFitz_gerald) November 3, 2025Yo Who Dey Nation I got us don't even worry.
Quinnen Williams, Rashan Gary to replace Trey Hendrickson, Riq Woolen, Caleb Downs, and Arvell Reese.
Move over, Duke Tobin. I'm marching into HQ to fix this team.
#Bengals #WhoDey pic.twitter.com/VuRlexgECm
Broncos QB Bo Nix Gives Strong Reaction After Trade Deadline Decision
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Bo Nix #10 of the Denver Broncos reacts against the Houston Texans.
The Denver Broncos let the 2025 trade deadline come and go without getting anything done. Broncos quarterback Bo Nix offered strong thoughts about why that was. He also spoke about what it means for the team this season.
It was not as if the Broncos did not try. However, their desire fell short of what was required to make something happen.
For Nix, the decision came as little to no surprise.
Bo Nix: ‘Great’ Broncos Confident Enough to Stand Pat at Trade Deadline
GettyBo Nix #10 of the Denver Broncos reacts after defeating the New York Giants.
Nix fielded a question about what is says to the team that the Broncos did not go all out to add a piece. Particularly, he was asked what it says about head coach Sean Payton’s faith in the group.
Nix called it “great.”
“Obviously, if there’s a need, you want to get it,” Nix told reporters on November 4. “But we feel like we got all the pieces. And so, sometimes when something like that happens, it shakes things up. And we got something good going, and we just want to keep riding this wave and finding ways to win.”
Much of the conversation around the Broncos’ trade plans stemmed from seeking help for Nix, be it another target or protection amid injuries to their offensive line.
The Broncos attempted to bring in tight ends and explored wide receiver trades.
Their biggest addition was veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis, who will have a bit role on the field and provide a locker room presence. Other than that, it is up to Nix and his current crop of pass catchers to take the necessary next steps.
Broncos WR Reacts to Trade Deadline
GettyTroy Franklin #11 of the Denver Broncos reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts.
One of Nix’s top targets, current Broncos wideout and former Oregon Ducks teammate Troy Franklin, spoke candidly about the Broncos’ lack of action at the deadline.
According to Franklin, it was not surprising based on what they had been told.
“Sean (Payton has) been telling us all year he loves our team, loves the receiver group and we don’t really need anything, so he’s kept his word,” Franklin said, per The Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson in a post on X on November 4.
Payton said leading up to the deadline that the Broncos would be open to a deal. However, that was only if it provided actual value, and not just to make something happen.
Franklin “especially” did not expect a WR move, per Tomasson, but Denver explored its options.
“The Broncos did NOT make a trade before the trade deadline,” DNVR’s Zac Stevens reported on X on November 4. “From my understanding, they looked into making moves, but didn’t force anything.”
Bo Nix: Broncos Looking to ‘Improve Faster’ Than Competition
GettyBo Nix #10 of the Denver Broncos on the field after defeating the Houston Texans.
Nix acknowledged the Broncos’ fourth-quarter prowess has belied the difficulty of scoring. He joked that not facing a top defense like the Houston Texans in Week 9 would help. He also noted that the Broncos are far from satisfied with so much of the season left.
At 7-2, tied for the best record in the NFL, and riding a six-game winning streak is nice, but hardly their end goal.
Their main focus is continuing to improve.
“We have so many things that we want to correct. And we feel like we haven’t even played a complete game offensively, much less, as a team. And so, I think once we start doing that, then we got to be careful about being too lax. But until then, we’re all in a growth mindset, and we’re worried about the things that we can fix,” Nix told reporters on Tuesday.
“Because there’s several of them from each position that we’re trying to focus on. And until we’re hitting all the ones that we need to hit, I don’t think we’re going to be able to be relaxed. Because we have a lot of guys that are competitive. We don’t have a bunch of frontrunners. We just got a locker room full of guys that are trying to race to improve, and improve faster than everybody else in the league.”
