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Adam Teicher, ESPN writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs expect Harrison Butker to kick for them later this season, coach Andy Reid said.
Reid said he was unsure of a timetable for the return of Butker, who underwent surgery Friday after tearing his meniscus, but said it would be this season. Butker was placed on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least the next four weeks, including Sunday’s game against the Bills in Buffalo.
He is eligible to return as soon as the Week 15 game against the Browns in Cleveland.
Butker tweeted that his procedure was a success.
He missed four games early in the 2022 season with a sprained ankle. Things didn’t always go so well for the Chiefs without him.
One of his replacements, Matt Ammendola, missed a short field goal and an extra point in one of the games without Butker, a three-point loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Butker’s replacement this time is rookie Spencer Shrader, who appeared in two games this season, one for the Colts and one for the New York Jets. He made both of his field goal attempts last week for the Jets.
“He’s done a good job with the ones he’s had and we’re comfortable with that,” Reid said.
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 he has 18 out of 20 for the 90%. But Reid acknowledged that the Chiefs are headed into the unknown rather than relying on Butker’s reliability.
“He’s a young guy, so his resume isn’t long,” Reid said of Shrader.
