Chiefs add a familiar kicker to practice squad given Spencer Shrader injury

The good news is that Spencer Shrader had his moment.

Just a couple of weeks after signing with the Kansas City Chiefs, Shrader, formerly of the New York Jets practice squad, had the chance to kick a game-winning field goal against the Carolina Panthers in Week 12 and came through for his new team, giving him a career moment with the defending champs and turning his signing into a fun mid-season story.

Unfortunately for Shrader, the story could end there after news broke that he suffered a hamstring injury. Hopefully he will be able to recover and play for the team in on Friday, but if not, the Chiefs are going to go forward with another familiar face at kicker. Matthew Wright, another kicker who has filled in on occasion when Harrison Butker has been unavailable, signed to the team's practice squad.

The Chiefs' new kicker will now yield his position to another new kicker in a carousel of specialists.

The Chiefs are ultimately waiting on Butker to return from injured reserve after deciding to have surgery on the meniscus in his left knee. He's expected to return to the team in plenty of time for the stretch run and postseason, but for now, the team is trying to finish the mid-section of its schedule as successfully as it can.

On Friday, the Chiefs return home to Arrowhead on a short week to host the rival Raiders and Butker is still out along with Shrader, which means Wright will once again serve as the Chiefs' kicker. Wright has been with the 49ers, Patriots, Panthers, Steelers, and Falcons in the time he last suited up for K.C.

Wright entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2019 after signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. A former University of Central Florida standout, Wright played sparingly in his early career, earning his first NFL points with the Steelers in 2020. In 2021, he joined the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he made headlines by kicking a game-winning 53-yard field goal against the Miami Dolphins in London.

Wright would go on to kick a much longer field goal in his tenure with the Chiefs in 2022 as he filled in for an injured Butker. He nailed a 59-yard attempt against the Raiders, the franchise record at the time. After Butker returned from a few weeks away for an injury, the team brought back Wright in January as a late-season addition for security at the kicker role.

Butker must sit out four weeks for the Chiefs, dating back to when he was placed on injured reserve, which means the earliest he could return is December 15 against the Cleveland Browns.