There were only two players on the Colts’ injury report this week ahead of their matchup with the Houston Texans–wide receiver Josh Downs and kicker Matt Gay.
Head coach Shane Steichen has already ruled out Downs following Friday’s practice, while Gay’s status is still up in the air and will be decided over the weekend.
“He’s feeling good,” said Steichen. “He’s progressing well. We’ll make that decision when we need to make that decision.”
Gay has not been a participant in practice this week as he recovers from a hernia injury that required surgery. The injury happened during the Colts’ preseason finale against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Steichen would, however, that while Gay hasn’t been a formal participant in practice this week, he did do some kicking.
Prior to Gay’s injury, he was having a sporadic preseason, having mad all five extra point attempts, but having made just 1-of-4 field goal attempts, which included two misses from 50-plus yards.
If you ask Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard about Gay, neither has any sort of concerns about his ability to make kicks.
“No,” said Ballard when asked if he was concerned about Matt Gay. “He’s a good kicker. A really good kicker.”
In his first season with the Colts in 2023, Gay would make 33-of-41 attempts, with five of those eight misses coming from 50 or more yards. By Gay’s own admission, the 2023 season was not up to the standards he sets for himself.
If Gay can’t play against Houston, rookie Spencer Shrader will be elevated from the practice squad. In the preseason, Shrader was 4-for-4 on extra points and 2-for-2 on field goals. This included making a 56-yarder against the Bengals.