Through a lot of training camp, Indianapolis Colts kicker Blake Grupe was owning his position. He was more accurate than Spencer Shrader and making more kicks from long distance. The preseason Week 1 happened, and the conversation changed.
After preseason Week 2, the guess of who is Indy's kicker entering the season might be changing too. Against the New England Patriots to start the preseason, Grupe missed his only attempt, which was a 61-yard attempt. Shrader, however, made his kicks, and one of those was a 61-yarder.
Maybe that was simply going to be a one-off, but it wasn't. If anything, Grupe made his argument to earn a roster spot even less convincing. Shrader got the first half kicks, and he made both attempts, one from 53 yards. In the second half, Grupe got his chance, but he had only one attempt and missed a relatively easy 36-yard try. That is brutal.
Blake Grupe might be losing his spot on the Indianapolis Colts' roster to Spencer Shrader
At this point, Indianapolis cannot know who its kicker is, when just a couple of weeks ago, the answer was safely Grupe. After his preseason appearances, he shouldn't earn the kicker spot, but after much of training camp, neither should Shrader.
To make matters more confusing, Shrader appears to have issues with kickoffs, kicking the ball far too flat and giving the other team an opportunity for a good return. This happened each time Shrader kicked the ball to the Falcons.
Being an efficient kicker means more than just making field goals. Setting the defense up for success with proper kickoffs is key, too. Spencer Shrader hasn't done that in the preseason, but he's scored three points three times, while Grupe hasn't done it once.
Had Grupe missed another long field goal attempt, that's fine. But missing a 36-yard try when one must assume he is feeling the pressure of keeping his job after what Shrader did in preseason Week 1 is awful. That implies that Grupe wilts easily when facing stress, and that cannot happen in the NFL.
The situation also unfolded with his previous team, the New Orleans Saints, and Blake Grupe began missing more kicks in 2025 before the team gave up on him. He was fantastic with the Indianapolis Colts late in the season, but he was also under no pressure to keep his job from another kicker. Now he is.
And through two preseason games, Grupe has failed so much that the kicker battle is at least even, but Shrader could be in the lead. Preseason Week 3 will be pivotal to both Shrader and Grupe keeping their jobs in Indy, and only one can win the job.
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