With offseason programs now behind us, let’s take a position-by-position look at where things stand for the Colts. Next up is the special teams unit.

With offseason programs now behind us, let’s take a position-by-position look at where things stand for the Indianapolis Colts. Rounding things out is the special teams unit.

If you missed our other positional reviews, you can find them below.

How Spencer Shrader’s performance in 2024 impressed the Indianapolis Colts

The Colts signed Spencer Shrader in free agency and then not long after that, released veteran Matt Gay. That decision, as GM Chris Ballard discussed, was not about Gay, but it was more so about the belief the team has in Shrader.

After being on and off the Colts’ practice squad for the first half of last season, Shrader spent time with the New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs last season.

In total, appearing in four games with three different teams–including Week 1 with the Colts–Shrader was 9-for-9 on extra points and 5-for-5 on field goal attempts. And what stood out to Ballard was how Shrader remained consistent despite having to quickly adjust to new teams, new holders, and new long-snappers.

“He leaves us and performs and performs at two different teams –you know how hard that is?” Ballard said via the team site.  “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. This had more to do with Spencer than it did, really, with Matt.”

There is still an open competition at kicker

With all that said, while Shrader is the likely favorite to be the Colts’ kicker this season, he is competing for that job with undrafted rookie Maddux Trujillo, who signed with Indianapolis after this year’s NFL draft.

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.

“Spencer certainly has a little bit of a step up in that,” said special teams coordinator Brian Mason of the competition, 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.”

Continued stability at punter and long-snapper

Punter Rigoberto Sanchez and long-snapper Luke Rhodes will continue to provide stability at these two positions. Last season, Sanchez ranked fifth in yards per attempt at nearly 50 yards per kick. He was also ninth in hangtime, and he was tied for fourth in fair catches.

These two will play key roles in helping the Colts’ young kickers continue to acclimate to the NFL level.