KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs are placing kicker Harrison Butker on the injured reserve list because of a knee injury, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday.
Butker, who was on the field and working with his teammates when Thursday’s practice began, 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 off the New York Jets’ practice squad to replace Butker on the 53-man roster, sources told Schefter.
Shrader kicked this season in one game for the Indianapolis Colts and one for the Jets. He made both of his field goal attempts Sunday for the Jets, the longest being from 45 yards. He also has made all three of his point after attempts.
“Kid’s got a lot of talent,” Jets special teams coach Brant Boyer told reporters Thursday in New York before Shrader was signed by the Chiefs. “I think he handled it really well in doing what we asked him to do and syncing up with those guys and doing a great job in the game, for sure.
“He’s a young guy and it’s shown that he has a really good leg. He showed it in his college tape, and he showed it in his preseason stuff.”
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, is likely to follow Greg Zuerlein, Riley Patterson and Shrader in New York’s kicker shuffle.
Butker is one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history. He’s 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-of-20 (90%) on field goal attempts and 21-of-22 (95.5%) on point after attempts.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
