Colts will be challenged on special teams if Rigoberto Sanchez is out for an extended time
The Indianapolis Colts could potentially be without punter Rigoberto Sanchez for the season after he suffered an injury in practice.
On Tuesday evening, news came out that Rigoberto Sanchez, punter for the Indianapolis Colts, had suffered a potentially serious Achilles injury. During the final sprints of Tuesday’s practice, Sanchez went down and initial reports were that the team feared the worse, a ruptured Achilles that would sideline Sanchez for the season. Test from Wednesday will provide a final verdict.
If Sanchez is lost for an extended period of time, that will challenge a Colts team that has been really good on special teams the last few seasons. Rigoberto Sanchez is a big part of that success for Indianapolis. Not only is he the team’s punter, but he does kickoffs and holds for the team as well. Those are three important positions that can often be taken for granted as long as everything is going well.
With Sanchez, things were going well. He wasn’t one of the flashy specialist names across the league, but he always executed his job. Former Colts punter, Pat McAfee, often praised Sanchez for being a technician, saying that Rigoberto is great with placing the ball so that returners are limited and Indy can consistently win the field position battle.
Now, if Sanchez is out for the season, like many fear he will be, the Colts have to quickly find a replacement. Punter isn’t really a position where teams keep depth, cause injuries are rare for the group. Currently, Indy doesn’t have a backup for Sanchez on the roster, so the team will have to turn to available free agents.
The Rigoberto Sanchez injury compounds concerns I've already had about the Colts' special teams. They let several key special teamers go during the offseason and I'm not convinced they have fully addressed those losses. I believe there are legit questions in the kicking game.
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) August 23, 2022
What free agent punters can the Colts sign?
Think it’s best to start with the fact that Pat McAfee isn’t coming back. While it’s a fun idea to throw out, McAfee is already pretty busy with his burgeoning post-playing careers. So Indianapolis will have to look elsewhere.
The most likely answer is Matt Haack, who was just timely released by the Buffalo Bills on Monday after losing a position battle to rookie Matt Araiza. Haack isn’t Rigoberto Sanchez, but he is a 28-year-old veteran punter that will probably be much better in Indy’s Lucas Oil Stadium than he was in the treacherous weather machine known as Buffalo.
There’s also Marquette King, who was having an electrifying career as a punter before finding his way out of the league in 2018. King has since played in the XFL and maintains that he still wants to play in the NFL but feels he hasn’t been given a fair opportunity.
Nate Atkins, a writer for the IndyStar, has highlighted undrafted free agent, Cameron Dicker, as a possible replacement. Dicker was an All-Big 12 specialist at Texas.
Whatever direction the Colts go, the chosen player will have big shoes to fill and must be ready to produce in order for Indy’s special teams to stay at an elite level.
