Coming back from his 2025 ACL injury has been far from easy for Colts kicker Spencer Shrader. Heading into the first preseason game of the year, he felt down on his performance thus far in training camp.

"Going into this game, I didn't really feel like I had a lot of positive momentum," Shrader said Thursday night. "But then, I was like, 'Well, none of that matters now. It's a fresh day. It's a new start.'"

As he's knee-deep in a kicking competition with Blake Grupe, Shrader has been having a less-than ideal camp. Though he's had some issues pushing kicks to the left, he's spent the last few weeks trying to get to the bottom of how he can improve.

"It's really difficult," Shrader said. "I've had some tough days in camp where I'm missing kicks and trying to figure out if it's my leg or my tempo. I think in those moments, you really have to avoid the distractions and just focus on what is going right."

In the first preseason game against the New England Patriots, he nailed a 61-yard kick, which still had some distance on it after it went through the goal post. The kick secured a 13-13 tie in Foxborough.

He credits his success not only to his patience in the recovery process, but Shrader's support system in the building that didn't give up on him.

"(General manager) Chris Ballard, (head coach) Shane Steichen and (special teams coordinator) Brian Mason and my teammates have been really supportive," he said. "I haven't felt pressure from anyone else. The pressure is from me."

Even though he made the longest kick of his career, Shrader is taking it day by day, game by game and kick by kick.

"The main thing it does is it lets you know that you're capable of it," Shrader said of making the kick. "That doesn't mean you can go out and do it tomorrow. It takes the same amount of preparation and hard work to get yourself there."