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According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Indianapolis Colts are signing recently released Buffalo Bill punter Matt Haack. He replaces Rigoberto Sanchez, who suffered a season-ending torn Achilles injury on Tuesday:
Haack was released by the #Bills the other day. Finds work with the #Colts quickly after beating out six other punters in a workout today. Indy lost Rigoberto Sanchez to a torn Achilles yesterday. https://t.co/JZoEcF8nrs
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 24, 2022
The move is hardly surprising, as Haack was arguably the top punting option readily available with just one week of preseason left before the NFL regular season kicks off.
Originally signed as an undrafted free agent out of Arizona State, the 28 year old punter has spent time with the Miami Dolphins (2017-20), as well as the Buffalo Bills organizations (2021).
He punts left footed, and per 1075 The Fan’s Kevin Bowen, while he has minimal kickoff experience, he has assumed holding duties in the past.
His NET average was 39.8 yards per punt last season (44.5 yards per punt average), and he pinned 17 total punts within the opposing team’s 20-yard line.
Even if he doesn’t have a booming leg, Sanchez is one of the better punters in the league, and he’ll be difficult to replace with his exceptional ball placement—and with his special teams versatility, handling both kickoff and holding duties for the Colts.
That being said, the Colts may have fared at least slightly better than reasonably expected given that Haack, a starting caliber NFL punter, was just waived before the season’s start.
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