WESTFIELD, Ind. — The Indianapolis Colts confirmed punter Rigoberto Sanchez tore his Achilles tendon at Tuesday's practice.
According to the Colts, Sanchez injured his Achilles tendon at the end of Tuesday's practice. Further testing Wednesday confirmed the torn tendon. The Colts have not said how long Sanchez will be out, but said it is likely this could end his season.
The team also said center Ryan Kelly is out of Wednesday's practice due after testing positive for COVID-19.
The 27-year-old punter, in his sixth season with the Colts out of the University of Hawaii, has averaged 51.6 yards per punt in the preseason, and has averaged 45.4 yards per kick over his career.
He is also the holder for field goals and extra point attempts and handles kickoffs for the Colts.
“I have to say I'm extremely upset for him," special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone said. "He put in so much hard work this entire offseason and I feel it's like my son who got hurt. I just, I really feel for him. You're not going to replace him. He does so much for our team.”
The injury came as the team started their final week of training camp at Grand Park in Westfield. Head coach Frank Reich said the Colts starters will play in the first half of Saturday night's game at Lucas Oil Stadium against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the final tune-up before the regular season starts on Sept. 11.
The Colts will need to trim their roster to 53 players by next Tuesday to get ready to start the season.
Indianapolis opens the season with two games on the road - at AFC South rivals Houston and Jacksonville - before returning home to face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Sept. 25.