The Kansas City Chiefs have played in 11 games, and eight were decided by one score; one of the most important weapons in close games is a reliable kicker.
In Harrison Butker, the Chiefs have one of the NFL‘s most reliable kickers. For now, though, the Chiefs are making do without their ace because of an injury.
Here’s the latest injury update on Butker and how Kansas City is managing his absence.
What Is Harrison Butker’s Injury?
Butker appears to have been struggling with a leg injury for most, if not all, of the season. It even caused him to fall to the ground after many of his kicks, unless that was a new technique — or maybe the two were not mutually exclusive.
Eventually, Butker and the Chiefs decided to address the injury with a medical procedure.
Butker underwent a procedure to trim the meniscus in his left knee. While it’s good that the injury is in his non-kicking leg, the procedure and subsequent recovery are such that Kansas City was forced to place Butker on short-term injured reserve and sign a replacement until the veteran can return to action.
When Will Butker Return From Injury?
Recovery timelines can vary from athlete to athlete, even when dealing with the same injury type and surgery to fix it. In Butker’s case, the timeline could be relatively short, so it’s expected the Chiefs will have their regular kicker back in time for the stretch run and the postseason.
MORE: Who Is the Chiefs Kicker After Butker Injury?
In the meantime, Butker’s placement on the short-term injured reserve means he must miss at least four games. That puts Butker on the sidelines through the Chiefs’ Week 14 game, with a return possible for a Week 15 contest at the Cleveland Browns.
Upon his return, close attention will be paid to Butker’s performance. Since entering the NFL, only two kickers — Justin Tucker and Eddy Piñeiro — have converted field goals at a higher rate than Butker’s 89.1%.
How Will Butker’s Absence Impact the Chiefs?
Needing a replacement for Butker, the Chiefs turned to the New York Jets’ practice squad and signed 25-year-old undrafted rookie free agent Spencer Shrader. In two games with Kansas City, Shrader has been perfect, connecting on six point-after-touchdown attempts and three field goals.
Although Shrader is in his first NFL season, he’s now been on three rosters.
Shrader was signed to the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad ahead of Week 1 to fill in for an injured Matt Gay. Once Gay returned in Week 2, Shrader went back to the practice squad, where he remained until the Colts cut him ahead of Week 5.
Then when Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein went down with an injury, New York signed Shrader to replace him. Shrader made his debut in Week 10, converting both of his field goals. New York intended to keep Shrader in place as their primary kicker until Zuerlein returned, but they tried to do so without placing him on the active roster. That left Shrader vulnerable to be plucked by another kicker-needy team, which is where the Chiefs come in.
Butker underwent the procedure and Kansas City signed Shrader off the Jets’ practice squad.