Heading into the preseason, Indianapolis Colts kicker Blake Grupe appeared to have a firm grasp on the job, but then the otherwise meaningless games occurred, and Grupe might find himself out of a job. Instead, Indy could go with Spencer Shrader.
In training camp, Grupe has been the better kicker, more accurate from all parts of the field and making longer field goals. In the preseason, the script flipped with Grupe struggling and Shrader nailing his attempts. He made two from 60 yards or beyond. This was from a kicker who didn't seem to make much beyond 50 before he was injured in Week 5 last year.
Shrader suffered a knee injury less than a year ago, and no one would have noticed had he never played again. Such is the brutal life of a player at his position in the NFL. But the kicker has come back from tearing ligaments in his leg and is somehow stronger.
Spencer Shrader has likely earned the kicker spot for the Indianapolis Colts
Based on Shrader's performance in the preseason, he probably earned the kicker spot on the team. Grupe will likely need to find new employment, as no team should keep two kickers on its active roster, no matter how good those players can be.
Whichever kicker gets waived will likely land on another team soon. As many teams as there are with problems at the position, either Grupe or Shrader would help remedy the situation. Both are worthy of sticking with the Colts, but only one will.
After preseason Week 3, in which Grupe doinked in a kick from within 50 yards and Shrader absolutely drilled a 60-yarder right between the goalposts, the latter should be the player Indianapolis chooses to keep around. Plus, the team has a good idea what he is capable of after he won the kicker battle in 2025 against Maddux Trujillo, too.
Last year, the team might not have known if Shrader could be trusted with a kick well over 50 yards to win a game. In the preseason, he has proven he can do just that. When the bright lights came on, even when the outcomes of games didn't truly matter, Shrader made the most of his opportunity, and that speaks volumes about his competitive drive.
Grupe was fantastic for a quarter of a season for the Indianapolis Colts last year, and he deserves to play somewhere, but that is unlikely to be in Indy. He has been beaten out by a player who could turn out to be the team's kicker for the next 10 years.
Add us as a preferred source on Google