Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo says rookie AJ Haulcy is avoiding repeat mistakes

What Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo wants most from a rookie defender is consistency, not flash. On Aug. 4, the team highlighted how Anarumo is seeing that quality show up from AJ Haulcy early in his NFL career, with Haulcy taking a majority of the first-team reps over the last two days of training camp.

Anarumo’s assessment is part of a broader theme that has been circulating within the Colts’ defensive setup as the club moved from OTAs into camp. In June, the coordinator talked about his initial impressions of Haulcy, emphasizing that the third-round pick from LSU was not showing the pattern of repeat rookie mistakes that can slow down a player’s adjustment to NFL pace and complexity.

Training camp, of course, is where those impressions get tested. The Colts’ report frames Haulcy’s current workload as a sign of trust, noting that he has been on the field with the starters often during the recent practice window. For a young player, that kind of repetition can accelerate learning, especially in units that depend on coordinated assignments and quick decision-making.

The feedback also matters because it comes from the coaching staff element that most directly measures a defense’s operational rhythm. Anarumo’s role includes teaching coverage and pressure structure, managing communication, and controlling the details that keep a defense from unraveling at full speed. If a rookie is avoiding repeated errors, it helps the scheme stay intact when practices get sharper and faster.

Haulcy’s camp presence, as described by the Colts, places him immediately into the group where performance becomes visible to coaches and teammates. Taking “the majority” of first-team reps is not just symbolic, it indicates that the staff is comfortable with his responsibilities enough to keep him in rotation with the starters rather than limiting him to scout-team duties or isolated packages.

Even with positive early indicators, nothing in training camp is permanent. NFL defenses often refine roles weekly as players earn more communication ownership, learn new indicates, and adjust to how opponents run look periods. Still, the Colts’ public emphasis on Haulcy suggests this is a developmental storyline the team wants fans to follow, particularly as camp approaches its later stages.

For watchers in the Colts’ defensive ecosystem, the next benchmark is whether Haulcy can keep the same error profile while facing increasing competition and staying consistent across practice days. The coordinator’s comment sets the expectation: learn quickly, avoid repeating the same mistakes, and keep his reps connected to the defense’s core, starter-level execution.