The Indianapolis Colts appear to have firmly entered crisis mode. The team has dropped three of four games and had a missed extra point in Week 13. Did that lose Indy the game? Nope, but it forced them to have to score a touchdown to beat the Houston Texans instead of a field goal to tie it.
No matter. Indianapolis released Michael Badgley on Tuesday after he had made 10 of 11 field goal attempts this season, but missed three extra points. He was the first Colts kicker to do that since 2019. Still, one might weigh his ability to score three points consistently with his inability to score one point at times.
To replace Badgley, the team signed former New Orleans Saints kicker Blake Grupe to the practice squad. Obviously, unless Indy signs yet another kicker, Grupe will be elevated to the active roster and begin kicking for the team in Week 14.
Indianapolis Colts sign former New Orleans Saints kicker Blake Grupe
Even Indianapolis doesn't seem to have a lot of faith in Grupe, however. Signing him to the practice squad means he can be elevated up to three times without being fully added to the active roster. In other words, Grupe might have three games to prove he is worth keeping, or the team might look yet again for a kicker.
Grupe at least has a connection with Colts special teams coach Brian Mason. Mason was the special teams coach at Notre Dame in 2022 and coached Grupe that season. That still does not guarantee the new kicker will be good for Indy.
Grupe played almost three seasons with New Orleans, but he was released after being involved in 11 games in 2025. The reason he was released? He was terrible. He made just 18 of 26 field goal attempts this season (69.2 percent), but hey, he made all of his extra point attempts, so he must be a winner.
At this point, the Indianapolis Colts are beginning to have more kickers this season than Harry Potter had Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers. Each of those failed after a year, too. Grupe might not help Indy win any more games than Badgley. The Colts might simply need to draft a kicker next year.