Kicker Matt Gay, who underwent a procedure to address a hernia in August, did not participate in the Colts' first Week 1 practice on Wednesday at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Neither Gay nor head coach Shane Steichen, though, said any decision has been made yet on the veteran kicker's availability for Sunday's season opener against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium.
"Obviously I want to be out there," Gay said. "Don't like missing anything. I'm just trying to just work day to day and get back and get healthier every single day."
Gay said he first felt a "pretty good amount of pain" the weekend after the Colts' Aug. 22 preseason finale against the Cincinnati Bengals. The pain was significant enough for him to get it checked out, which revealed a hernia. Gay never had hernia issues in the past, and described it as a "weird, fluke thing."
"Working through it, dealing with it right now," Gay said. "Obviously want to be out on the field and be back a soon as possible. So just doing my rehab, being diligent, taking care of what I can take care of and trying to get back out as soon as possible."
If Gay is unavailable for Week 1, the Colts will turn to rookie Spencer Shrader, who was with the team through training camp and was signed to the practice squad last week.
Shrader, who went undrafted after a five-year collegiate career at South Florida and Notre Dame, made both of his preseason field goal attempts – including a 56-yarder – as well as all four of his PATs with the Colts in August. Steichen said he thought Shrader did a "hell of a job" in the preseason, and Gay is confident the young kicker could deliver if called upon.
"He's ready," Gay said. "Obviously he showed this preseason that he's primed for the opportunity. He's got all the talent in the world, he's got a good head on his shoulders and couldn't be more excited for him, this opportunity, if he gets to go out there. You guys saw what he can do. He's a talented kicker and he'll have no level of doubt in my mind he'll go out there and do his thing and be successful."
Gay's support has been meaningful for Shrader over the last few months.
"He's had my back the entire way and he's been so helpful in this process," Shrader said. "He's been so instrumental for me in my confidence and my growth that I'll always see him as a friend."
Shrader, serendipitously, was born in Westfield and lived in the suburb north of Indianapolis until the age of 12. His parents both are Indiana natives who attended Ball State.
Notably, too, Shrader was recruited to transfer to Notre Dame by Brian Mason, who was the Irish special teams coordinator before the Colts hired him for the same role after Steichen was brought aboard in 2023. The Colts have plenty of confidence in Shrader; the team, too, will have steadfast belief in Gay once he's cleared to return.
The Colts signed Gay as a free agent in March of 2023, and he made 33 of 41 field goals (80.5 percent) and 35 of 36 PATs (97.2 percent) last season. Gay set an NFL record with four field goals of 50-plus yards, including a game-winner in overtime, in the Colts' Week 3 win over the Baltimore Ravens in 2023.
"Good kicker. Really good kicker," general manager Chris Ballard said last week. "Let me defend Matt here a little bit, because there's more to the story. I'm not going to give you all of it, but when he went – not many people go into Baltimore and go 5-for-5 with how many over 50 that day? Four over 50. Guy's really talented."
Wednesday's full practice report:
- Downs is "progressing well," Steichen said. The Colts haven't decided on the second-year wide receiver's Week 1 status yet.
