Falcons signing P Dustin Colquitt to practice squad

Atlanta vowed to look around for punter options after Cam Nizialek shanked a pair of punts against the Buccaneers, though they were careful to say they hadn’t definitively decided that they were making a switch. It’s still not clear whether they’ll make that switch, but they are adding an option to the practice squad in the form of longtime punter Dustin Colquitt.

That report comes via his agent, and the team confirmed a short time ago that he’ll be joining the practice squad. Bryan Witzmann will be released, meaning both guard options the Falcons brought aboard last week are now gone, potentially signaling that the team is more comfortable with Jalen Mayfield and their reserves than they were a week ago.

Colquitt is about as experienced an option as you’ll find on the open market. A third round (!) selection in the 2005 NFL Draft, Colquitt was with the Chiefs from 2005 to 2019, bouncing around a bit in 2020 before ending up back on the Kansas City practice squad. A two-time Pro Bowler, he’s averaged a solid 44.8 yards per punt in his career, has just one blocked punt in the last seven seasons and very occasionally handles kickoffs as well. At 39 years old, he still should be a reliable, seasoned option for the team if pressed into action, and that’s clearly what they were looking for.

If Colquitt is up for the game on Sunday, Younghoe Koo will return to handling kickoff duties, as Nizialek has done so up to this point. We likely won’t know until gameday whether Colquitt will be flexed to the roster or if he’s just insurance for Nizialek not bouncing back against the Giants, but give him a warm welcome regardless.