What to know about new Colts K Blake Grupe

Colts special teams coordinator Brian Mason told reporters Tuesday he rated experience, consistency and trust above all else in an NFL kicker when considering a midseason change.

With Blake Grupe, who the Colts signed to their practice squad Tuesday to replace waived kicker Michael Badgley, Mason lands a stand-in he knows well, having coached him for Grupe’s final collegiate season at Notre Dame in 2022 before both moved on to the next level.

Here’s more about what you need to know about the new placekicker the Colts have entrusted with a pivotal position on a roster with eyes on a deep postseason run.

Blake Grupe stats

After two-plus seasons with the New Orleans Saints, who signed Grupe as an undrafted free agent in 2023, the 27-year-old was waived a week ago after missing two field goals in the Saints’ 24-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. New Orleans then tried out veterans Cade York and Justin Tucker, ultimately signing York to their practice squad before elevating Charlie Smyth to gameday status Sunday for his NFL debut.

Smyth nailed his only kick of the game – a 56-yard field goal.

Grupe, on the other hand, had been shaky this year on field goal tries, dropping to 18-for-26 with his pair of misses just over a week ago for a season-long average just under 70% (69.2%). In his two previous seasons with the Saints, Grupe was a career 83.8% field goal kicker (57-for-68) with two misses inside 30 yards (both as a rookie in 2023), three misses from 30-39 yards (two of them this year), six miss-hits from 40-49 yards (three this year) and eight misses from 50 and beyond (three in 2025).

For his NFL career, Grupe is an 89.6% field goal kicker inside 40 yards (43-for-48) and 69.6% from 41 yards and beyond (32-for-46).

“Most kickers, as we're looking at them in Week 14, are obviously on the street for a reason. So for evaluating new kickers, what is the reason maybe they did not have the success, or the reason that maybe they are on the street? Is that something that we can plug and play in our situation, and they'll be set up for more success?” Mason told reporters Tuesday when asked about the process that goes into midseason kicker evaluations before Grupe’s signing had been reported. “There's a variety of different factors as you look into that, but certainly the No. 1 thing being consistency.”

Colts kicker Blake Grupe on extra points

For all his woes on field goals of late, Grupe’s strengths throughout his short NFL career have come on extra points – the Achilles heel of Badgley this season after three PAT misses in his seven-game stint in 2025.

This year, Grupe has been a perfect 15-for-15 on PAT tries – one of just 12 kickers in the league with at least 10 starts yet to miss an extra point try. In 45 NFL starts, Grupe has missed just two PAT tries – those misses coming in Weeks 2 and 5 of the 2024 season. For his career, the 27-year-old Grupe is 86-for-88 on PATs.

Reliability there, considering what is presumed to have been the reason for the Colts to have cut Badgley loose, would seem to have likely played a major role in Indianapolis’ faith it has now placed in the third-year NFL kicker.

“We're looking for somebody that's experienced, that we know can handle pressure, that we know can be consistent to be able to make kicks within games,” Mason said Tuesday. “Everybody would love somebody that can make 60-yard field goals and make all their PATs and make consistent field goals. But as we're looking at things right now, we're looking, ‘Hey, who can make PATs and be reliable to make kicks within 50? Who we can trust to be able to do that for the next five weeks and then into the playoffs, to be able to make kicks outdoors that we know can handle that pressure?’”

Why did the Colts pick Blake Grupe as kicker?

Grupe wasn’t the only player the Colts brought in for their Tuesday tryout with whom they had some level of familiarity. Maddux Trujillo, the undrafted free agent who spent time in training camp with the Colts this year, also participated in the competition Tuesday, along with 13-year NFL veteran Justin Tucker.

But with Mason, at least, Grupe has extensive experience, spending his fifth and final college season with the Colts’ special teams coordinator in South Bend after four years with Arkansas State. In 2022, Grupe was a perfect 49-for-49 on PATs and finished 14-for-19 on field goals.

And it's that familiarity, along with in-game experience this year and that perfect line on PATs in 2025, despite a rocky road on field goals this season, that likely combined for a resume that helped seal Grupe a second shot in the NFL – one that’s likely to be an audition for teams around the league who might have an opening heading into next year.

Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Blake Grupe: What to know about new Colts coach