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Indianapolis Star
7 days ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Colts' kicker competition off to an uneven start between Spencer Shrader, Maddux Trujillo
WESTFIELD, Ind. -- The Colts have preached competition at as many positions as they can create it this season. Kicker has been no exception. The battle between Spencer Shrader and Maddux Trujillo has started at the Grand Park Sports Complex. The winner among these undrafted free agents will not only make the roster but be the man tasked with replacing Matt Gay, who was once given the biggest contract to a free agent kicker in history before Indianapolis cut him to save money this offseason. 'Truly an open competition," special teams coordinator Brian Mason said. Shrader and Trujillo traded off field goal attempts for the first time in Friday's practice. The results, as to be expected, were mixed. Shrader made four of six attempts, connecting from distances of 33, 37, 41 and 45 yards before missing the two long kicks, both from 53 yards. Trujillo made three of six attempts from the same distances, connecting from 33, 37 and 45 yards and missing from 41, 53 and 53 yards. This is just the beginning of a competition that will span across weeks of training camp, two joint practices and three preseason games. "We're trying to get those guys equal reps as much as we possibly can early on to see who can kind of take hold of that competition," Mason said. "There is really no timetable on that, but that's something we'll work on as we go throughout training camp to see who kind of takes the lead.' This is Trujillo's first training camp after he went undrafted this spring out of Temple. He's known for the sheer power of his leg, which allowed him to connect on a 64-yard field goal last season, the longest make the NCAA has seen in more than 35 years. Accuracy is more of his challenge, and that came through in the two misses from 50-plus yards in Friday's practice. Shrader bounced on and off the Colts' roster for much of last season while Gay battled a pair of injuries. He wound up playing for the Chiefs and Jets and connecting on each of his five field goal attempts as well as all nine extra points. Shrader came upon Mason's radar back when the Colts coordinator recruited him to Notre Dame before the 2023 season. Now, the winner of the competition can take the reigns from a Pro Bowler who never quite hit that consistency in Indianapolis.
USA Today
11-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Spencer Shrader, Maddux Trujillo in 'open competition' for Colts' kicker job
Spencer Shrader, Maddux Trujillo in 'open competition' for Colts' kicker job As Colts' special teams coordinator Brian Mason mentioned on Wednesday, kickers Spencer Shrader and Maddux Trujillo are in an "open competition." Spencer Shrader may be the favorite to be the Indianapolis Colts' kicker for the 2025 season, but as special teams coordinator Brian Mason said on Wednesday, this is still an open competition. 'Spencer certainly has a little bit of a step up in that," said Mason, via 107.5 The Fan. "He's already been in the league, already been here, but it is definitely an open competition. That's how I view it." Competing with Shrader is undrafted rookie Maddux Trujillo. This past season at Temple, Trujillo made all 21 extra point attempts and he was 16-for-22 overall, which included going 5-for-5 from 40-49 yards and 5-of-8 from 50-plus, per PFF. 'We think (Trujillo is) very similar to what Spencer was last year,' special teams coordinator Mason said earlier this offseason via the Indy Star. 'Maybe, statistically, wasn't what you'd think you'd be looking for from a college standpoint, less than an 80% kicker. … But you can see a lot of guys — even Harrison Butker was less than 80% in college — if they have the talent and mental makeup, be able to take the next step.' Shrader, meanwhile, joined the Colts last offseason as an undrafted rookie as well. He would spend the summer with team and was their kicker in Week 1 while Matt Gay was sidelined. Through the first half of the 2024 season, Shrader was on and off the Colts' practice squad before briefly catching on with Kansas City and the New York Jets in the latter portion of the year. Appearing in four total games between his three stops, Shrader was 5-for-5 on field goals and 9-for-9 on extra points. His ability to bounce from one team to the next, while working with different holders and long-snappers, while remaining consistent, caught GM Chris Ballard's attention. "He leaves us and performs and performs at two different teams –you know how hard that is?" GM Chris Ballard said. "That's difficult now, to go to two different teams and have to perform – that is not easy. You're working with a totally different operation at both – different snapper and different holder – and to go in and be successful." So far, both kickers are off to strong starts during offseason programs. Ultimatley, consistency will determine who the Colts' kicker is come Week 1. "Both these guys are talented young kickers and we're going to end up going with whichever guy performs the best under pressure, both in training camp and joint practices," added Mason.
Indianapolis Star
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
'He's not your typical specialist': Why Colts wanted Spencer Shrader to be their kicker
INDIANAPOLIS — The favorite to win the Colts kicking battle sees his job differently than most. The position comes loaded with pressure. NFL specialists have come so far that kickers are expected to make just about every field goal, especially at the end of a tight game, and there is little forgiveness for a kicker going through a rough patch. Every good kicker finds his own way to handle that pressure. Spencer Shrader prefers to see it as a blessing. 'How cool that I get to go out there on that field and get a chance to kick the ball through the uprights and perform for a team?' Shrader said. 'You do feel it, and the pressure does get to you, but if you're able to frame it positively and just look at it as a blessing, it always ends up being a positive thing.' Reframing the fleeting nature of an NFL kicker's job security is no easy task. The reminders are everywhere. For example, the only reason that Shrader is the favorite to win the kicking job in Indianapolis this season is that the Colts decided to release former kicker Matt Gay in April, a somewhat surprising decision given how much Indianapolis had invested in the veteran. Colts news: Colts release Matt Gay two years after giving him NFL record contract for kicker Gay inked the biggest deal a kicker had ever signed in free agency to join the Colts two years ago. The signing was supposed to put an end to the kicking uncertainty that lingered in Indianapolis after age caught up to Adam Vinatieri. But nagging injuries robbed Gay of the efficiency he'd had in Los Angeles, and Indianapolis released him with two years left on his deal, turning instead to Shrader and undrafted rookie Maddux Trujillo to battle it out for a position that can decide a team's playoff hopes with one swing of the leg. Colts news: Why did the Colts want a kicker from Austin Peay and Temple? Two 60-yard field goals 'A lot of it had to do with Spencer,' Colts general manager Chris Ballard said. 'Having Spencer last year gave us a real insight into his talent level, and then he leaves us and performs, and performs for two different teams. You know how hard that is?' Few saw Shrader's rookie season coming. Four years at South Florida and a final season at Notre Dame proved Shrader had remarkable leg strength, but he made just 68.3% of his kicks in college and went undrafted. The Westfield native was a projection, and NFL teams need certainty at the kicker position. Colts special teams coordinator Brian Mason, who'd helped the Fighting Irish recruit Shrader, chose him because he saw something special in the way Shrader sees the world. Indianapolis looks for kickers with leg strength and the mental makeup to handle the rigors of the job. 'When you talk to him, you could see, 'OK, this guy's different,'' Mason said. 'He's not your typical specialist, right?' Shrader sees the NFL world differently than most players. A lot of NFL players are motivated by a desire to win, to be one of the best that ever played, to prove anyone wrong who doubted them along the way. Shrader sees everything through a silver lining. 'When you're given opportunities, when people put their trust in you, you want to perform for them,' Shrader said. 'I know the NFL can be business-oriented to a certain extent, but I really do want to be here. I really do enjoy representing the Colts.' He had plenty of opportunities to go elsewhere. Undrafted as he was, Shrader caught the eyes of the NFL when he buried a 56-yard field goal in the preseason finale against the Bengals last year, then calmly made three extra points in place of an injured Gay in the opener against Houston. When the Jets needed a temporary replacement a few weeks later, Shrader answered the call, then drilled the first two field goals of his career in a loss to the Cardinals. The next week, Kansas City star Harrison Butker suffered an injury and the Chiefs scooped up Shrader, starting the rookie for the next two weeks. Shrader made every kick before suffering a hamstring injury that forced him to injured reserve. He'd proven he can kick at the NFL level, and he spent the rest of the season learning from Butker, an eight-year veteran with three Super Bowl rings and the longest kick in Super Bowl history. What Shrader learned from Butker, he believes, was the mentality it takes to stick in the NFL. Butker watched Shrader kick in practice, then started asking questions about Shrader's technique, how he did certain things. Shrader had no idea, at least at first, why Butker was trying to learn from an undrafted rookie. Then it hit him. 'The best guys are the ones who show up and have a humility about their work,' Shrader said. 'They come in, every single day, and they almost act like it's Day 1 of their rookie year.' Shrader headed into the offseason facing uncertainty. He was still on Kansas City's roster, but Butker's presence made it unlikely he'd stay, and once he got released, five teams called about signing him to compete for kicking jobs. Shrader's agent handled most of the calls. But the kid who spent most of his childhood in Westfield before moving to Florida, knew where he wanted to be. 'In my heart, I was like, I kind of want to go back to the Colts,' Shrader said. Shrader signed with Indianapolis without knowing what Indianapolis planned to do with Gay, without knowing that he'd head into the offseason as the favorite to win the job outright, an outcome that could put an end to all of the relief opportunities he'd earned as a rookie. His leg strength is remarkable. Shrader told reporters last week that he's made a 70-yard kick in the team's indoor facility, and on top of that, the 56-yarder he drilled against Cincinnati last preseason was a bit of a mishit, a ball he got under a little too much and turned into a rainbow. A lot of NFL kickers wish they could mishit a 56-yarder and still send it flying through the uprights. 'I feel confident about as far back as we'd ever need to kick a field goal,' Shrader said. Shrader still has a lot of work to do. First he has to beat out Trujillo, then prove he can handle the full-time job consistently, knowing that only a few NFL kickers ever earn so much trust that a release isn't a few missed kicks away from happening. But Shrader knows how he's going to approach all of that uncertainty, and the Colts are hoping Shrader's positivity ends up making all the difference.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Strong starts for Indianapolis Colts' kickers Spencer Shrader, Maddux Trujillo
The Indianapolis Colts' kickers, Spencer Shrader and Maddux Trujillo are off to strong starts in the team's OTA practices. According to Jake Arthur of SI's Horseshoe Huddle, during Thursday's OTA practice that was open to the media, Shrader was 4-for-4 on field goal attempts, making kicks from 33, 40, 45, and 53 yards. Advertisement Trujillo would go 4-for-4 as well on the same distance kicks, and also made one more during a two-minute drill to finish the day 5-for-5 overall. With Trujillo specifically, Arthur noted his power. "It was quite noticeable how much the ball essentially explodes off Trujillo's foot," wrote Arthur. "He made multiple kicks of 60-plus yards in college at Temple." Now, of course, the caveat here is that this is only one practice, and I would guess this wasn't the first time that these two have kicked during OTAs; it just happened to be the first time that they kicked in front of the media. The Colts signed Shrader in free agency earlier this offseason, before eventually releasing veteran Matt Gay. They then signed Trujillo following the NFL draft as an undrafted rookie. Advertisement Shrader spent the 2024 offseason with the Colts and was on and off the practice squad for the first half of the season before getting opportunities with the New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs. Appearing in four total games with the Colts, Chiefs, and Jets, Shrader would make all five field goal attempts, and he was 9-for-9 on extra point attempts. Shrader's ability to bounce from team to team, adjust to a new snapper and a new holder, while remaining consistent, caught the attention of GM Chris Ballard. "He leaves us and performs and performs at two different teams –you know how hard that is?" GM Chris Ballard said. "That's difficult now, to go to two different teams and have to perform – that is not easy. You're working with a totally different operation at both – different snapper and different holder – and to go in and be successful." During Trujillo's most recent season at Temple, he was perfect on 21 extra point attempts and was 16-for-22 overall. This included going 5-for-5 from 40-49 yards and 5-of-8 from 50-plus, per PFF. Advertisement 'We think (Trujillo is) very similar to what Spencer was last year,' special teams coordinator Brian Mason said via the Indy Star. 'Maybe, statistically, wasn't what you'd think you'd be looking for from a college standpoint, less than an 80% kicker. … But you can see a lot of guys — even Harrison Butker was less than 80% in college — if they have the talent and mental makeup, be able to take the next step.' As Ballard mentioned after the addition of Trujillo, the Colts having two kickers on their offseason roster is not abnormal. In fact, having only one would be the oddity. For the time being, this is Shrader's job, but that isn't set in stone either, as he will presumably still have to outperform Trujillo this summer. At a position where the Colts now find themselves quite inexperienced, competition is a very good thing to have. This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts OTAs: Strong starts for Spencer Shrader, Maddux Trujillo
USA Today
07-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Strong starts for Indianapolis Colts' kickers Spencer Shrader, Maddux Trujillo
Strong starts for Indianapolis Colts' kickers Spencer Shrader, Maddux Trujillo The Indianapolis Colts' kickers, Spencer Shrader and Maddux Trujillo are off to strong starts in the team's OTA practices. The Indianapolis Colts' kickers, Spencer Shrader and Maddux Trujillo are off to strong starts in the team's OTA practices. According to Jake Arthur of SI's Horseshoe Huddle, during Thursday's OTA practice that was open to the media, Shrader was 4-for-4 on field goal attempts, making kicks from 33, 40, 45, and 53 yards. Trujillo would go 4-for-4 as well on the same distance kicks, and also made one more during a two-minute drill to finish the day 5-for-5 overall. With Trujillo specifically, Arthur noted his power. "It was quite noticeable how much the ball essentially explodes off Trujillo's foot," wrote Arthur. "He made multiple kicks of 60-plus yards in college at Temple." Now, of course, the caveat here is that this is only one practice, and I would guess this wasn't the first time that these two have kicked during OTAs; it just happened to be the first time that they kicked in front of the media. The Colts signed Shrader in free agency earlier this offseason, before eventually releasing veteran Matt Gay. They then signed Trujillo following the NFL draft as an undrafted rookie. Shrader spent the 2024 offseason with the Colts and was on and off the practice squad for the first half of the season before getting opportunities with the New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs. Appearing in four total games with the Colts, Chiefs, and Jets, Shrader would make all five field goal attempts, and he was 9-for-9 on extra point attempts. Shrader's ability to bounce from team to team, adjust to a new snapper and a new holder, while remaining consistent, caught the attention of GM Chris Ballard. "He leaves us and performs and performs at two different teams –you know how hard that is?" GM Chris Ballard said. "That's difficult now, to go to two different teams and have to perform – that is not easy. You're working with a totally different operation at both – different snapper and different holder – and to go in and be successful." During Trujillo's most recent season at Temple, he was perfect on 21 extra point attempts and was 16-for-22 overall. This included going 5-for-5 from 40-49 yards and 5-of-8 from 50-plus, per PFF. 'We think (Trujillo is) very similar to what Spencer was last year,' special teams coordinator Brian Mason said via the Indy Star. 'Maybe, statistically, wasn't what you'd think you'd be looking for from a college standpoint, less than an 80% kicker. … But you can see a lot of guys — even Harrison Butker was less than 80% in college — if they have the talent and mental makeup, be able to take the next step.' As Ballard mentioned after the addition of Trujillo, the Colts having two kickers on their offseason roster is not abnormal. In fact, having only one would be the oddity. For the time being, this is Shrader's job, but that isn't set in stone either, as he will presumably still have to outperform Trujillo this summer. At a position where the Colts now find themselves quite inexperienced, competition is a very good thing to have.
