After moving on from Gus Bradley earlier in the week, the Indianapolis Colts will reportedly be interviewing long-time coach Steve Wilks for their defensive coordinator opening, according to Tom Pelissero.
In addition to Wilks, Pelissero would also report that former Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo will be interviewing as well.
Wilks’ background as a defensive coach is with the secondary, having held a number of roles over the years, both at the college and NFL levels, as a defensive backs coach.
He also has head coaching experience, holding that title with the Arizona Cardinals in 2018 and then as the interm head coach for the Carolina Panthers in 2022.
Most recently, Wilks was the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator in 2023 and after being let go, has been a volunteer advisor with the University of Charlotte in 2024.
In 2023, that 49ers’ defense ranked fourth in points per game allowed, giving up just 18.8 per game, and Wilks was apart of that run to the Super Bowl that ultimately ended in defeat.
Despite the on-field results for the 49ers that season, as noted in an article by FOX Sports, the 2023 season was a “turbulent” one for Wilks and 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan.
The San Francisco run defense during that playoff stretch particularly struggled under Wilks, giving up 149.3 yards per game.
Before that, the last time that Wilks held the defensive coordinator title was in 2019 with the Cleveland Browns, who ranked 20th in scoring that season.
