The stars on any team are almost always clear. For the Indianapolis Colts, the quarterbacks are well-known, but the players who make the team go are ones like Michael Pittman and Jonathan Taylor. But the team could make a push toward the playoffs or not based on one specific position.
The guess is that, due to the Colts' good defense and excellent offensive line, Indy is going to play a lot of close games. A few might be one or lost by how well the kicker does late in games. This is not only obvious, but the position has to be held by someone who doesn't get the jitters.
One of the training camp battles to watch is occurring at the spot. Spencer Shrader and rookie Maddux Trujillo are each making a run at the roster, but so far in camp, one looks like they have spent a little time in the NFL, and the other doesn't.
Indianapolis Colts' kicker battle appears to have one clear leader
Shrader was signed last year by the Colts before bouncing around the league, and appeared in only one game. He played for a short time with the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets. He made all five of his field goal attempts with the Jets and Chiefs, but didn't do enough to prove he could be the long-term kicker for either.
Still, the experience he got at three stops likely gave him an indication of what is expected from a professional kicker. The position doesn't do much for much of the game, but many times has to execute the most important play of the game.
While Shrader hasn't been tasked with doing that very much, he certainly has more inside information on what to do than Trujillo. It is showing in training camp. Shrader has made nearly 90 percent of his practice field goal attempts, while Shrader has made just 75 percent.
Both kickers might end up having long careers, but there is one clear leader for the Indianapolis Colts in 2025, and that is Shrader. Perhaps, the team likes Shrader's leg strength more, especially with kicks beyond 50 yards, and that is keeping him in the roster battle, but the final decision should come down to reliability.
Maddux Trujillo hasn't shown in training camp that he can be counted on when games are close at the end. Spencer Shrader looks like the safer bet. The kicker battle might go well into August, but Sharder likely has already won the job.