Rigoberto Sanchez Back to Kicking Footballs

It would be an understatement to say that Colts’ Punter Rigoberto Sanchez has been through his fair share of trials and tribulations. The man has been put through the wringer. From being diagnosed with have a cancerous tumor to going through one of my worst fears, tearing an Achilles 

Sanchez’s Cancer Diagnosis 

Sanchez first rallied the city together when he revealed that doctors found a cancerous tumor in 2020. Luckily, doctors caught it early before it could spread and he would have it removed with no other issues and was even back in practice later in the month he had the surgery. It was a bullet dodged for sure. 

Ruptured Achilles 

Sanchez would face another massive adversity after tearing Achilles in an August practice past season. For some reason, he was doing wind sprints. In an exercise that seems like it has minimal benefits for a punter, he suffered a season ending injury before the season got underway. 

The Way Back 

Practically everyone knows that the road back from an Achilles tear is a long one. Recently, Sanchez made a big step on that long road. In hid own private sessions, Sancez began punting on that freshly repaired Achilles’ tendon. In these private sessions, he’s obviously not going 100 percent. He’s not even close to that yet. Which is why he isn’t punting in official Colts’ practices.

Sanchez hasn’t been coy about last year’s challenges with his injury. Sanchez has told press that it was one of the most difficult years of his career and it is easy to see why. Before his injury, Sanchez was in the prime of his career, a top ten punter in the league, and no one behind him on the depth chart threatening his job in training camp. Then it happened. He heard the pop, felt the pain, and hit the turf during the day’s conditioning session. That is when everything crumbled and a new, difficult journey began.

Ten months removed from that injury, Sanchez wears a smile on his face. Not because the road is coming to an end, but because of how far he has traveled down it already.  He credits his family and faith for his way back. It is unclear if he will be ready for the season opener against Jacksonville in September or if he’ll miss games well into the 2023 season. Either way, I think most Colts fans would agree that they would like to have Sanchez back sooner rather than later.