KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs are placing kicker Harrison Butker on injured reserve due to a knee injury, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday.
Butker, who was on the field and working with his teammates when practice began Thursday, will need arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, sources told Schefter.
By going on IR, Butker will be sidelined for at least the next four games.
The Chiefs are signing kicker Spencer Shrader from the New York Jets’ practice squad to replace Butker on the 53-man roster, sources tell Schefter.
Shrader kicked this season in one game for the Indianapolis Colts and another for the Jets. He made both of his field goal attempts Sunday for the Jets, the longest being 45 yards. He has also made his three points clear after several attempts.
“The kid’s got a lot of talent,” Jets special teams coach Brant Boyer told reporters Thursday in New York before Shrader was hired by the Chiefs. “I thought he handled it very well by doing what we asked him to do and getting in sync with those guys and doing a great job in the game, for sure.
“He’s a young guy and he’s shown that he has a very good leg. He showed it in his college video and in his preseason material.”
With Shrader headed to the Chiefs, Anders Carlson could become the Jets’ fourth kicker in as many games when they host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Carlson, who was signed to the Jets’ practice squad last week, will likely follow Greg Zuerlein, Riley Patterson and Shrader in New York’s kicking turnover.
Butker is one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history. He is third all-time, having made 89.2% of his field goal attempts since joining the Chiefs as a rookie in 2017. This year, Butker is 18-for-20 (90%) on field goal attempts. from the field and 21 of 22 (95.5). %) at the point after the trials.
