 Assistant head coach Jim Caldwell retained Bethea as the starting strong safety, along with free safety Bob Sanders.On September 21, 2009, Bethea collected a season-high eight solo tackles, a pass deflection, and an intercepted a pass by Tarvaris Jackson during a 27–23 victory at the Miami Dolphins in Week 2.In Week 7, he tied his season-high of eight solo tackles as the Colts' routed the St. Louis Rams 42–6.