Throughout the offseason, Spencer Shrader and Blake Grupe were in a close battle for the Colts' starting kicker role.
In training camp, each had their fair share of makes and misses. When it came to the Colts' three preseason games, Shrader had the more accurate leg, going 5/5, including two from at least 60 yards out. Grupe went 2/4.
Special teams coordinator Brian Mason said during the preseason that in-game makes would likely end up mattering more when decision time came, and they did.
On cutdown day, it was Shrader who got the nod over Grupe.
"I'm incredibly grateful and blessed," Shrader said Thursday. "I was praying about that and working towards that, but you have to prepare yourself emotionally for any outcome."
Shrader tore his ACL and MCL in Week 5 of the 2025 season and has been working tirelessly to be at full strength for 2026. With the recovery time of an injury like an ACL tear comes mental hurdles and endless patience as to not rush the process. So, for Shrader, this competition was not just against another teammate.
"(Grupe) was kicking at such a high level, and it just continually reminded me to compete against myself every single day," Shrader said. "I finally felt like myself towards the end."
When suffering injuries like Shrader's, several players begin recovery with the same goal: to return to the player they were beforehand. For the Notre Dame alum, and many others, he knew the comparison from pre-injury to present day would hurt.
"If I was to compare myself to where I was last year, I think I would have been in a pretty poor mental spot for the majority of OTAs and training camp," Shrader said. "I had to reframe my perspective and think about, 'Okay, here I am now. I may not feel like I felt last year, but I can still feel better tomorrow. I can still take care of my rehab and my training and my recovery to put myself in a better position tomorrow than I was today.'"
The kicker position is a revolving door of players. Each week during practice or a game, someone could be kicking for their job. Even though he made the initial 53-man roster, in the back of his mind, Shrader was, and still is, always thinking about what comes after each kick.
"Everybody's like, 'Oh he's drilling kicks in games at 61 and 60 yards,'" he said. "When that's you, it's still up in the air. There were many points where I was like, 'Man, this might be my last kick with the Colts, my last day with the Colts. Go out and make the most of it.'"
