Colts special teams coach Brian Mason confirmed Monday that kicker Spencer Shrader will start and receive all the reps in the Colts' second preseason game against the Green Bay Packers Saturday.
Shrader will take "a bulk of the load" moving forward in practices as well, including the team's upcoming joint practice against the Packers Thursday.
Shrader, entering his second year in the NFL, holds the edge over rookie kicker Maddux Trujillo; Mason said Shrader has made 87 percent of his kicks overall in training camp and Trujillo has made 78 percent.
"I think he's kicking better in training camp than he was in OTAs, I think he's kicking better in week three of training camp than he was in week one," Mason said of Shrader. "Obviously, any time you have a new starting kicker there's going to be some bumps in the road, but I think he's starting to get more comfortable. I think he handled pregame really well in Baltimore. He certainly has the leg up in this competition."
In the Colts' first preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens last Thursday, Shrader made three field goals: a 53-yarder, a 33-yarder and a 39-yarder. He missed one from 52 yards, pulling it slightly to the left to where it bounced off the goalpost.
While Shrader is now in his second season in the NFL, he still doesn't have a whole lot of experience under his belt. He spent time on both the Colts' practice squad and active roster and also appeared in games for the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs, but only has five field goal and nine PAT attempts under his belt.
It is highly worth noting that Shrader made all 14 attempts, including a game-winning, time-expiring field goal for the Chiefs. However, Shrader's longest field goal in 2024 was 45 yards. Of course, he's already shown he can surpass that with his 53-yard field goal against the Ravens – now the goal is to get more successful reps and fix the little things.
"He's just got to continue to get more comfortable," Mason said. "Just understanding different situations and how to play the ball so we're not pulling the ball toward the left, which has been the issue that's come up here of late. But really, he'll just continue to get more comfortable, he'll continue to get more consistent, which he's doing."
Mason said Trujillo will get an opportunity to kick in the Colts' final preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals to "get some film out there and show what he can do."
News and Notes from Monday's practice:
- Cornerback Kenny Moore (knee) and wide receiver Alec Pierce (groin) did not practice after sustaining injuries during Sunday's practice.
- Tight end Will Mallory continued stacking solid days, once again snagging balls from Anthony Richardson Sr. and Daniel Jones throughout team drills. Notably, Mallory fought through heavy coverage to leap up and grab a deep ball from Richardson during an 11-on-11 period.
- Wide receiver Adonai Mitchell ran an impressive corner route to grab a pass from Jones along the sidelines. Mitchell also later created good separation to get open in the middle of the field for another pass from Jones.
- Cornerbacks Alex Johnson and Duke Shelley, as well as safety Hunter Wohler all recorded impressive pass breakups in an 11-on-11 drill.
- In a full field drill, Richardson sent a bullet of a pass to tight end Tyler Warren for a touchdown. In that same drill, Richardson connected with wide receiver Josh Down with a floating pass for a touchdown in the corner of the end zone.
- Safety Cam Bynum broke up a short pass from Jones intended for Mitchell in the beginning of the first 11-on-11 period.
- Wide receiver Ashton Dulin and Jones displayed their growing chemistry with multiple completions throughout practice, most notably with a deep pass to Dulin in the end zone for a touchdown.
