Getty Head coach Frank Reich and the Indianapolis Colts cut a veteran defender to add a specialist to the practice squad on October 25.
The Indianapolis Colts have struggled so badly on offense this season that other concerns with the team may be going unnoticed. That is, at least by the public.
Indianapolis seems to be aware that punter Matt Haack isn’t having the best season and particularly struggled in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans. In light of that, the Colts added punter Nolan Cooney onto their practice squad to compete with Haack.
To make room for Cooney, the Colts released veteran cornerback Ryan Smith.
We have signed P Nolan Cooney to the practice squad and released CB Ryan Smith from the practice squad.
What Cooney Will Bring to Colts
Standing at 6-foot-3 and 202 pounds, Cooney will offer the Colts an alternative to the veteran Haack, who has been inconsistent this season. Cooney has never kicked in an NFL regular season game, but he’s spent time with the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals organizations.
Cooney originally joined the Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He played his college career at Syracuse, where he averaged 44.8 yards per punt and pinned 24 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
Although no NFL experience, Cooney has a pretty strong leg. A little more than one-third of his punts went for 50-plus yards and he recorded 22 touchbacks on kickoffs.
In 2020, he earned All-America and All-ACC honors during his final college season.
The Colts solidified their punter situation, signing Haack late in the preseason after Rigoberto Sanchez suffered a season-ending injury. Haack averaged 46.7 yards per punt in the first three games of the year.
But over the last four weeks, Haack has posted a punting average under 37 in three different games. Overall, he’s averaging 39.0 yards per punt since the start of Week 4. He shanked a couple punts in the 19-10 loss to the Titans on October 23.
Bringing in Cooney gives the Colts another option at punter if Haack continues to struggle. It also allows Indianapolis more possibilities for the team’s kickoff specialist.
Kicker Chase McLaughlin has been in that role since Week 2, but he’s only recorded a touchback on 36.0% of Indianapolis’ kickoffs.
Colts Lose Veteran Defender in Smith
Adding another punter does come at a cost for Indianapolis. To make room for Cooney, the Colts released Smith, who is a veteran defensive back and Super Bowl champion.
The 29-year-old hasn’t played for the Colts this season, but he has appeared in 77 NFL games and made 17 starts. He recorded a career-high 10 starts with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017.
Smith played five years for the Buccaneers after Tampa Bay drafted him in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft. He appeared in all 20 regular season and playoff games for Tampa Bay during the team’s Super Bowl season in 2020. Smith posted a career-high 63 combined tackles in 2017.
Last year, he played four games, making one start, for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Even when he’s been a starter, Smith has mostly been a contributor on special teams during his career. He’s played 1,366 special teams snaps in the last six years.
It’s tough seeing a player of that caliber leave Indianapolis’ practice squad, but his release speaks volumes about the team’s current punting situation. The Colts were willing to depart with Smith in order to create competition for the struggling Haack.