An unexpected Indianapolis Colts rookie might have to be a Week 1 starter against the Houston Texans

We are less than a week away from the Indianapolis Colts 2024 regular season opener against the Houston Texans.

And the status of starting kicker Matt Gay seems officially in doubt. Head coach Shane Steichen announced that Gay has a groin injury that will impact his ability to practice this week.

This could lead to undrafted rookie Spencer Shrader being the team's starting kicker for Week 1.

Spencer Shrader

Shrader spent training camp with the Colts after signing as an undrafted free agent. While he didn't make the team's 53-man roster , he recently signed to their practice squad .

His five-year college career began in 2019 at South Florida before he transferred to Notre Dame for his final season. At South Florida, he made 28 of his 41 field goal attempts (68.3%) and 95 of his 96 extra points (98.9%), and at Notre Dame, he made 15 of his 22 field goal attempts and 61 of his 62 extra points (98.4%). His biggest development hat occurred after the transfer to Notre Dame was his ability from 50+ out. At South Florida, he only attempted five total from beyond 50 yards in four years; at Notre Dame, he attempted seven in one season and made four of them.

Shrader didn't get many opportunities during the preseason but delivered every time his number was called. He didn't miss a single kick; he made all four of his extra point attempts and went two for two on-field goal attempts. His longest was from 56 yards out, which topped his career high in college, which was 54 yards. We will have to wait and see if Gay's groin injury forces him to miss the week of practice and the Week 1 matchup against the Texans. But if he does, it'll be Shrader stepping up to serve as the team's starting kicker.

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