The Indianapolis Colts signed a new punter on Tuesday, which isn’t the most common move to see in the middle of the season.

In this particular circumstance, it signals a bit of an injury concern for the Colts’ starting punter, Rigoberto Sanchez.

Here’s what you need to know.

Colts Sign Super Bowl Champion Punter

The Colts announced on Tuesday afternoon that they’ve signed Thomas Morstead to their practice squad:

We have signed WR Mecole Hardman Jr. and P Thomas Morstead to the practice squad.

We have also released WR Eli Pancol from the practice squad.

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) October 20, 2026

Morstead is 40 years old and has been punting in the NFL since the New Orleans Saints picked him in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft out of SMU.

In his rookie season, Morstead was part of the Saints’ Super Bowl championship team.

He spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the Saints, unleashing 692 punts and getting 251 of them (36.3%) to land inside the 20-yard line.

Morstead then punted for the New York Jets in seven games in 2021, then the Atlanta Falcons for seven more games in 2021.

He spent the entire 2022 season with the Miami Dolphins.

Morstead returned to the Jets in 2023, and he led the NFL in punts (99) and punt yardage (4,831) that year.

He remained with the Jets for the entire 2024 season, as well.

Morstead then headed to the Bay Area to punt for the San Francisco 49ers in the 2025 season. He played in all 17 games and averaged 43.6 yards per punt with 50% of his punts ending up inside the 20-yard line.

Colts’ Rigoberto Sanchez Injury Concern

The Colts may be making a proactive move after their punter, Rigoberto Sanchez, appeared to get injured on Sunday in Week 6.

Sanchez had his punt blocked, and his punt leg seemed to be clattered into.

At the time, Sanchez limped off the field. He clearly wasn’t 100%.

The Colts won’t have to release an injury report until Wednesday for their Monday matchup with the Minnesota Vikings. That’ll be informative as to whether Sanchez has the potential to miss some time.

If the Colts have to sit Sanchez, there’s hardly a better veteran option to turn to than Morstead. He’s seen it all in the NFL and is still hoping to keep his punting career alive.