Falcons designate Hayden Hurst for return from IR, cut ties with Dustin Colquitt

The Falcons appear to be gearing up to get back Hayden Hurst and appear content to roll on with Thomas Morstead as their punter, as they made a couple of roster moves that suggest just that.

The team announced that they’ve waived tight end Parker Hesse, who had been filling in and playing about 10-20 snaps per game while Hayden Hurst was on short-term injured reserve. Hesse will likely wind up back on the practice squad, as he is one of Arthur Smith’s guys dating back to Tennessee and did a fine job in a reserve role for Atlanta when he got an opportunity this season. That move is presumably happening because the Falcons expect to get Hurst back this week, where he’ll slot back in on the depth chart behind Kyle Pitts and hopefully offer something as a receiver for a team that needs more quality options desperately at the moment.

The Falcons also announced that they’ve waived punter Dustin Colquitt, who was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list two weeks ago and was supplanted on the roster by Thomas Morstead. Colquitt did a solid job as the team’s punter during his short pre-COVID stint and will presumably get a shot to latch on elsewhere, but Morstead has done excellent work as his replacement and this move seemed inevitable.

We’ll see what kind of difference Hurst can make when he re-joins the roster shortly, and we wish Colquitt well wherever he lands next.