Colts special teams coach Brian Mason gave an insight into how he’s used the first two practices of training camp on Thursday.
In addition to sharing how he evaluates the right fits for his special teams scheme, Mason also spoke on the kicking competition.
Spencer Shrader and Maddux Trujillo are in a battle for the Colts kicker job after the team moved on from Matt Gay. Mason called it “an open competition.”
As far as evaluating the two in training camp, both have had opportunities to kick for coaches, Mason shared. Their kicks were charted and recorded, giving them valuable film to learn from.
It’s hard to truly evaluate a kicker in that setting, however. Mason said they’ll get their best opportunity to watch them each later down the line.
“The biggest time when they’re going to be evaluated is when we go into a team setting, when we go into a joint practice, when we go in preseason,” he said.
Mason hopes those game settings allow for one kicker to pull ahead of the other. If it’s close, there’s one differentiator which could be the deciding factor.
“Kickoff is going to be a lot more important this year,” Mason said. The NFL changed the touchback rule to place the ball at the 35-yard line instead of the 30-yard line this season, changing the way teams approach that phase of the game.
“Having a kicker who has the ability to, on a very consistent basis, put it in the landing zone is going to be somebody who can add a little bit more to their resumé.”
Mason emphasized versatility and consistency on kickoffs above all else.
It’s still early on in the competition, and Mason says there’s no timetable on selecting a starter, giving the Colts plenty of time to figure out who to keep on their roster in 2025.