The Indianapolis Colts placed punter Rigoberto Sanchez and safety Armani Watts on the injured reserve list as a part of the team’s efforts to reduce the roster to 53 players, the team announced Tuesday.
Any player placed on the injured reserve list before the initial rosters are set is forced to miss the entire season. If the team wanted to designate a player to return but still put them on the list, they would have to wait until after the final roster cuts to do so.
Neither of these is a surprise for the Colts. Sanchez tore his Achilles during the final week of training camp. While there was a moment in which the Colts may have considered waiting to put Sanchez on the reserve list—hoping he could later return—the timeline for an Achilles recovery is simply too long for that to be a possibility.
The Colts signed Matt Haack just before the preseason finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he showcased extremely well to make the initial 53-man roster.
Watts suffered an ankle injury on the opening kickoff of the preseason finale. He had to be carted off, and head coach Frank Reich told the media following the game that Watts would likely miss the season. This move confirms that.
Watts was slated for a special teams role and will likely be replaced by rookies Rodney Thomas II and Trevor Denbow.
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