Report: Colts cut Blake Grupe after Spencer Shrader wins kicking job

The Indianapolis Colts have reportedly made a decision at starting kicker, releasing Blake Grupe after the team concluded its offseason kicking competition, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo via Yahoo Sports. The reported outcome is that returning kicker Spencer Shrader has won the job, with the decision framed around Shrader’s performance during the preseason, particularly on longer kicks.

For teams, the kicker position is both operational and psychological. It is operational because every kickoff, field-goal attempt, and extra point hinges on routine and timing, and it is psychological because late-game scoring margins often come down to one strike. When a competition is resolved, it indicates that the staff believes the chosen option gives the unit the most reliable path to points across varied situations.

Garafolo’s report, as relayed by Yahoo Sports, did not portray the move as surprising, suggesting the Colts’ results from camp and the preseason had already pointed toward Shrader. The language also emphasizes long-distance execution, an area that can carry outsized importance for teams that rely on field position and third-down efficiency to convert opportunities beyond the red zone.

Blake Grupe, the veteran now reported to be released, had been part of the Colts’ competition picture. His departure would leave Shrader as the clear kicker heading into the next phase of the season, while also reducing the margin for error elsewhere on special teams because the remaining depth options are less likely to be the same style or range that prompted the staff’s preference.

Spencer Shrader, described in the report as the returning kicker, is now set to take over the starting role. In practical terms, that means his technique, range, and routine will become the reference point for the rest of the kicking group, including holders and gunners, even if the team’s broader special-teams roles are staffed by multiple players.

Still, this is a report based on media attribution rather than a confirmed transaction page included in the evidence here. Until the Colts publish or formally log the change through official channels, the most accurate framing is that Indianapolis has reportedly decided on its kicker rotation, with Grupe out and Shrader in as the starter.

What to watch next is how the Colts structure special teams depth around the starting kicker. If Shrader’s range truly drove the decision, the next meaningful indicator will be whether the offense’s play-calling patterns create similar field-goal looks, especially from distances that test a kicker’s leg strength and consistency.