The Indianapolis Colts have a kicker battle that could have been settled in preseason Week 1 against the New England Patriots, but the drama only got more intense. While Blake Grupe has had a far better training camp, Spencer Shrader was better against the Pats.
In fact, while Shrader had issues making long kicks in his career before preseason Week 1, he nailed a 61-yarder. The same kind of kick that Grupe, who has had success in his career making long kicks, missed against the Pats. The kicker battle therefore rages on.
FanSided's Adam Fromal gave special mention to Shrader's 61-yarder against the Patriots in preseason Week 1 by giving it the "Kick of the Week" honor.
Indianapolis Colts' Spencer Shrader wins the battle, but Blake Grupe should win the war of the kickers
Fromal wrote, "Shrader isn't typically viewed as a power kicker. Before tearing his ACL and MCL last year, he went 13-of-14 with an average make of 35.1 yards and a long of just 52. In 2024, his five makes for the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets averaged 33.4 yards, and none came from beyond 45. Even his collegiate long was a 54-yarder for Notre Dame during the 2023 season. This is newfound territory for Shrader..."
Even Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was jealous that Indianapolis had two kickers capable of changing the outcomes of games, while his own kicker has struggled.
Vrabel said after the preseason clash, "(Indianapolis is) banging them in from 60 yards. They got two kickers on the roster, so Andy (Borregales) knows that we have to make those field goals.
Of course, if Mike Vrabel wants to make a change at kicker, he might only need to wait a couple of weeks because while the Colts have a roster battle at kicker, only one player at the position is going to stick on the roster. The other will be free to sign elsewhere. If that doesn't happen, maybe they return to Indy on the practice squad, but that is not likely.
What seems obvious, but apparently isn't, is that Blake Grupe should be the player to make Indy's team. Forget preseason Week 1, a game that is meaningless except for roster battles; Grupe has been better in training camp, more accurate and more consistent in making long kicks, and has proven his worth in more NFL games.
One preseason game shouldn't change a roster battle that Grupe should have been leading by a wide margin. He missed the 61-yard kick that Shrader made, but Colts fans watched last season as, before Shrader was hurt, he struggled to make anything beyond 52 yards. The team didn't even trust him to.
Grupe, though, has made 19 of his 27 attempts from 50 yards and beyond in his career. He made all four attempts from that range after he joined the Colts late last season. He is a smaller person than Shrader, but his professional football experience should prove he knows what he is doing.
Shrader earned the "Kick of the Week" honor, but he shouldn't be the kicker once the season begins. Maybe he will wind up with the New England Patriots. It sounds like that team needs a new kicker.
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