The Chiefs are adding a familiar kicker to the practice squad due to Spencer Shrader’s injury

The good news is that Spencer Shrader had his moment.

Just weeks after signing with the Kansas City Chiefs, Shrader, previously a member of the New York Jets practice squad, had the opportunity to hit the game-winning field goal against the Carolina Panthers in Week 12 and moved on to his new team. giving him a career moment with the defending champions and turning his signing into a fun mid-season story.

Unfortunately for Shrader, the story may have ended there when news broke that he had suffered a hamstring injury. Hopefully he will be able to recover and play for the team on Friday, but if he doesn’t, the Chiefs will continue with another familiar face on the field. Matthew Wright, another kicker who sometimes filled in when Harrison Butker was unavailable, signed a contract with the team’s training staff.

The Chiefs are ultimately waiting for Butker to return from injured reserve after deciding to have meniscus surgery on his left knee. He is expected to return to the team well in advance for the transition and postseason, but for now the team is trying to finish out the middle portion of its schedule as best as it can.

On Friday, the Chiefs return home to Arrowhead for a short week to host the rival Raiders, with Butker and Shrader still sidelined, meaning Wright will once again serve as the Chiefs’ kicker. Wright played for the 49ers, Patriots, Panthers, Steelers and Falcons when he last played in KC

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

Wright then kicked a much longer field goal his tenure at Chiefs in 2022, replacing the injured Butker. He had a 59-yard completion against the Raiders, which was a franchise record at the time. After Butker returned from a several-week absence due to injury, the team returned to play he brought in Wright in January as a late-season addition for cover in the kicker role.

Butker will be sidelined for four weeks with the Chiefs after being placed on injured reserve, meaning the earliest he will be eligible to return is Dec. 15 against the Cleveland Browns.