INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts are signing former Saints kicker Blake Grupp to the practice squad to replace veteran kicker Michael Bagley, a league source confirmed.
The Saints fired Grupe last week in the middle of his third season in New Orleans, but the 27-year-old kicker, a veteran of three seasons in the NFL, was already familiar with Indianapolis special teams coordinator Brian Mason, who coached Grupe during his final college season at Notre Dame.
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Gruppe made just 18 of 26 field goal attempts for New Orleans this season, but he scored all 15 of the extra points that led to Bagley being waived. Bagley was brought in to provide stability inside the 50-yard line, but he missed three extra points in seven games.
The Colts know any kicker they could sign at this point would pose a risk.
“Any time you talk about evaluating a kicker in Week 14 of the season, it’s definitely going to be complicated,” Mason said Tuesday. “That’s the situation we’re in. We’ve got to put ourselves in the best position to be successful and find guys that we think can convert scoring chances.”
This article originally appeared in the Indianapolis Star: Blake Grupe signed by Colts to replace kicker Michael Bagley