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Dustin Colquitt

Titans, P Kern Rework Contract

March 12th, 2022 at 6:06pm CST by Ely Allen

With Titans’ punter Brett Kern heading into the final year of his contract, he’s agreed to terms with Tennessee to take about a $1MM pay cut, according to Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter). The longtime Titan was set to earn $3.2MM to complete a four-year, $12.65MM deal, but will now make $2.2MM for the 2022 NFL season. 

The 14-year veteran is Tennessee’s longest-tenured player and has spent all but one of his NFL seasons in Tennessee after signing as an undrafted free agent in Denver. There are only four punters older than Kern and only Sam Koch, Andy Lee, and Dustin Colquitt have been in the league longer.

The three-time Pro Bowler’s play has dipped a bit in recent years. Since it’s mostly a result of the team’s offensive ability and a more successful offense can lower the number of a punter’s opportunities, it can be hard to truly gauge a punter’s play. Still, Kern pinned the opposing team’s offense inside the 20-yard line only 18 times last year, his lowest season total since his rookie season as a Bronco. He also missed three games for the second consecutive year.

Kern’s initial salary of $3.2MM would’ve made him the highest paid punter in the 2022 season (before Jake Bailey‘s proven performance bonus). With the updated number down to $2.2MM, Kern ranks as the ninth-highest paid punter for the upcoming year. The extra $1MM for Tennessee will grant them a bit of wiggle room for cap spending.

Browns To Sign Dustin Colquitt

December 10th, 2021 at 8:24am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have agreed to sign veteran punter Dustin Colquitt (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Colquitt, cut by the Falcons earlier this week, will be eligible to play on Sunday against the Ravens.

[RELATED: Browns GM On Potential Mayfield Extension]

Colquitt, 39, is best known for his time in Kansas City. The Chiefs used a third-round pick on the punter back in in 2005 and he went on to play 15 seasons in KC. The second-generation NFL punter and older brother of Britton Colquitt, Dustin made the Pro Bowl in 2012 and 2016 and finished his first Chiefs stint in Super Bowl LIV.

The Tennessee product punted in five games with the Steelers and one game with the Jaguars in 2020. This year, he saw time in six games for the Falcons with an average of 47.7 yards per punt, the highest single season mark of his career.

The Browns’ Week 12 loss to the Ravens dropped them to 6-6 on the year. They’ll have a chance at redemption — and improving their playoff odds – when they welcome them to Cleveland this weekend.

Minor NFL Transactions:  12/6/21

December 6th, 2021 at 8:27am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: OL Trent Scott

Cleveland Browns

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Jets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Falcons Sign P Thomas Morstead

November 23rd, 2021 at 8:27pm CST by Ben Levine

Thomas Morstead has found his next gig. The Falcons announced that they’ve signed the veteran punter. Morstead also confirmed the signing on Twitter.

There’s a chance Falcons punter Dustin Colquitt is forced to miss Sunday’s game due to COVID-19 protocols. Morstead would be a temporary fill-in, and there’s a good chance he’ll earn his walking papers once Colquitt is back in the lineup.

Morstead, 35, first entered the league as a fifth-round draft pick of the Saints in 2009. After earning a ring as a rookie, he signed multiple extensions to stay in New Orleans through 2020. This year, the Saints were more than $100MM over the cap, so he was released in the middle of their numbers crunch. Morstead landed with the Jets in mid-September, replacing the injured Braden Mann. But, with Mann designated for return, Morstead’s services were no longer needed and he was cut.

The veteran missed only two games in his 12 Saints seasons and punted in all seven of his Jets contests, bringing his career total to 197 appearances. Morstead was averaging 48.2 yards per punt with the Jets, his best average since 2016.

Minor NFL Transactions:  11/22/21

November 22nd, 2021 at 1:01pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Jordan Brown

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/4/21

October 4th, 2021 at 11:20am CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Football Team

Falcons To Sign P Dustin Colquitt

September 21st, 2021 at 3:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons have a new punter, and he brings considerable experience. Longtime Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt agreed to a deal with the Falcons on Tuesday, according to his agency (on Twitter).

Atlanta cut Cameron Nizialek after a shaky Sunday showing. Nizialek punted in just two games for the Falcons and will give way to Colquitt, who has kicked in 244.

While Colquitt agreed to a practice squad deal, the Falcons should be expected to elevate the veteran ahead of their Week 3 game Sunday. To make room on their 16-man taxi squad, the Falcons released former Colquitt Chiefs teammate Bryan Witzmann. A five-year veteran offensive lineman, Witzmann has bounced around since being a full-time Chiefs starter in 2017.

Although Colquitt landed back with the Chiefs during the playoffs last season, his most recent game action came with the Steelers. Colquitt, 39, punted in five games with Pittsburgh in 2020. The Steelers, however, released him to bring back Jordan Berry. The Falcons will be Colquitt’s third NFL team.

The 16-year veteran, of course, is best known for his Chiefs tenure. Kansas City used a third-round pick on Colquitt in 2005, and he subsequently played 15 seasons for the team. The second-generation NFL punter and older brother of Britton Colquitt, Dustin made the Pro Bowl in 2012 and 2016 and finished his first Chiefs stint in Super Bowl LIV.

Chiefs To Bring Back P Dustin Colquitt

January 7th, 2021 at 3:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dustin Colquitt will soon be back with the Chiefs. The longtime Kansas City punter agreed to rejoin the team Thursday, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Interestingly, the 16th-year veteran agreed to a practice squad deal. The Chiefs cut Colquitt last year to make room for his rookie replacement, Tommy Townsend.

A 2005 Chiefs third-round pick, Colquitt remained active after his April release. He latched on with the Steelers and Jaguars, punting in six games this season and was briefly with the Buccaneers. The 38-year-old specialist now appears set to be an insurance option for the defending Super Bowl champions.

The Chiefs used Colquitt as their punter for 238 regular-season games and in 12 playoff contests, including Super Bowl LIV. The second-generation NFL punter averaged 43.6 yards per punt during the 2020 regular season, a tick down from his 44.3-yard average in the final season of his first Chiefs stay. The Chiefs acquired Townsend as a UDFA in April.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/18/20

December 18th, 2020 at 7:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Friday’s practice squad decisions:

Chicago Bears

  • Activated from practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: DL LaCale London

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

  • Placed on practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: T Jonathan Hubbard

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bucs Place Donovan Smith On Reserve/COVID-19 List

December 18th, 2020 at 11:13am CST by Rory Parks

The Buccaneers have placed starting LT Donovan Smith on the reserve/COVID-19 list, per a team announcement. As a result, Smith will miss Tampa’s matchup with the Falcons on Sunday.

The 27-year-old blocker released a statement saying that he had close contact with a family member who recently tested positive for the coronavirus. Per league protocols, Smith must self-quarantine for at least five days.

Smith has never been a world-beater, but even an average blindside protector is a valuable commodity in the NFL, as evidenced by the three-year, $41.25MM contract Smith signed with the Bucs in 2019. He has been entrenched as the Bucs’ starting LT since Tampa selected him in the second round of the 2015 draft, and this Sunday’s contest will be just the second missed game of his career.

2020 has actually been a solid year for him relative to his usual performance, at least if you believe the advanced metrics. Pro Football Focus thinks favorably of both his run-blocking and pass-blocking this season and considers him the 39th-best tackle in the league out of 80 qualified players. Josh Wells will likely get the start in Smith’s absence.

There is some good news to pass along, however. Specialists Bradley Pinion, Ryan Succop, and Zach Triner, who all found themselves on the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier this week, have been activated. According to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, one of those three players tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week, and the other two were placed on the list as close contacts. However, it appears that the positive test was a false one.

In order to guard against the possibility of losing their primary punter, kicker, and long snapper, the Bucs brought in free agent P Dustin Colquitt, K Brett Maher, and LS Garrison Sanborn for visits, as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network tweets. It doesn’t sound like there is a need to sign those players now, but Tampa may be keeping them on speed dial just in case.

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