COLTS

Colts search for splash, sign kick returner Thigpen

Stephen Holder
IndyStar
Colts punter Pat McAfee was the last and only person to stop the return on Marcus Thigpen on a punt late in the fourth quarter. The Colts won 23-20 over the Miami Dolphins at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 4, 2012. (Matt Detrich / The Star)
  • Patriots at Colts, 8:30 p.m. Sunday, NBC

The Indianapolis Colts likely will have a new return man when they line up against the New England Patriots on Sunday.

When the Colts released quarterback Josh Johnson on Monday, they replaced him on the active roster with veteran kickoff and punt returner Marcus Thigpen, who seems likely to supplant receiver Griff Whalen on special teams.

Thigpen, an Indiana University product who was released by the Buffalo Bills last week, is a veteran of several NFL teams and three Canadian Football League seasons. He's played in 45 NFL games and has returned 85 punts for 847 yards (10.0 average) with two touchdowns. On kickoffs, Thigpen has 92 returns for 2,224 yards (24.2 average).

"We're going to get him going this week," coach Chuck Pagano said. "He was out there (Monday). Obviously we know him; we've seen him; we've played against him. (He's) a good returner, so we'll start to integrate him into our system and our schemes and see where that takes us."

It shouldn't take long, Pagano said, to do that. The return position is not one that is particularly complicated.

Luck practices (we think), hopes to play vs. Patriots (maybe)

There's "right return, left return, middle return," he said. "As long as he can possess the ball and catch it, which we know he can, we know he's got return skills. He's got the numbers to back it, so we've got a lot of respect for him as a player."

The timing of this move is somewhat surprising. It comes on the heels of Whalen's career-long 50-yard kickoff return against the Houston Texans on Thursday night.

During the offseason, the Colts had talked effusively about the potential of first-round pick Phillip Dorsett on special teams, but those plans were effectively scrapped after Week 1 when Dorsett mishandled two punts in a loss to the Bills. Whalen has been handling punts and some kickoffs since.

The Colts have long sought explosiveness from their return position. Last season, that effort led to the signing of veteran Josh Cribbs, who added significant playmaking but at a terrible cost. Cribbs' aggressiveness led to key turnovers, including one in the AFC Championship Game against the Patriots. The Colts cut Cribbs after drafting Dorsett.

Patriots at Colts, 8:30 p.m. Sunday, NBC

Follow Star reporter Stephen Holder on Twitter: @HolderStephen.