Harrison Butker took his longest break as a Chiefs player this offseason. Here’s why

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker admits that April tested his morale.

This offseason — straying from his usual routine — he waited a whole month before he started kicking after the Chiefs’ season ended in Super Bowl LVII. The downtime was meant to let his body fully heal after he suffered an ankle injury in Week 1 that affected him throughout the year.

That, though, led to some uncertain moments in the spring. Once Butker returned to kicking, he only went once per week instead of his typical 3-4 times.

And following the layoff, he wasn’t always returning to form as quickly as he’d hoped.

“Those early kicking sessions were not the prettiest,” Butker said with a smile last week.

The patience seems to have been worth it now. Butker says he’s fully healthy, reporting that he’s kicking the ball “better this training camp than I even did last training camp before the injury.”

“I’m feeling really good with it,” Butker said of his technique. “The ball is going through, and that’s the most important thing.”

The offseason schedule certainly was unfamiliar.

Use the 2021 season as an example. Following the Chiefs’ AFC Championship Game loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Butker said he was back kicking the following Thursday, taking less than a week off before beginning his offseason work.

“Because I love to kick. I love doing it. I love working on stuff,” Butker said. “But I knew, if I’m going to have a good season this year, I need to make sure I’m fully healed up (and) I’m feeling good, my whole body.”

The ankle affected more than just his lower leg last season. Butker said he had to stop both his sprint work and heavy lifting after he was hurt, which resulted in other body parts not being as strong late.

He might have a hip ailment nagging at him. Or a groin that bothered him a particular week. His base also wasn’t as strong as he’d been accustomed to in previous seasons.

“I really had to recover from a lot of different things,” Butker said, “and now I’m feeling great.”

Some introspection also has led Butker to a modified approach this season.

In training camp last year, Butker spoke openly about his work to improve his power. He’d consulted with a biomechanist then, who’d spoken to him about keeping his plant foot straight, which would increase the torque in his hips.

At the time, Butker aimed to get a chance at a 70-yard field goal attempt, wanting to show off some of the newfound leg strength he had flashed in training camp.

The Week 1 injury, however, altered Butker’s methods. He sacrificed some power while working around his discomfort, and Butker says how he’s kicking now mostly resembles what he did at the end of last season.

“I think I have probably changed some things in my technique, where I’m not trying to destroy the ball; I’m just trying to make sure it goes through the uprights,” Butker said. “Just focusing on making sure the ball’s going through as consistent as possible. And I think if you’re swinging super hard, it makes it hard to be consistent. So I feel like I’m in a good rhythm right now.”

Butker emphasized he still has “enough distance for all my kicks,” even if most days in camp the team has only tested him back to about 55 yards against the wind.

Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub, for his part, says he liked what he’d seen from Butker in early workouts.

“Obviously, he came back from the injury last year. Towards the end of the year, I think he was feeling a lot better,” Toub said. “Now, it’s way behind him.”

Butker, who kicked the go-ahead field goal in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVII win, has had a busy few months away from the field. That included him and his wife, Isabelle, welcoming their third child; Butker also delivered a commencement speech at his alma mater, Georgia Tech, in May.

Entering his seventh season with the Chiefs, Butker says playing in three Super Bowls — while winning two — has surpassed all expectations he might have initially envisioned for his professional career.

“It’s just a dream. I almost have to pinch myself sometimes to tell myself that this is real,” Butker said. “But just a blessing to have this platform and to be able to be here and have so much success with this Kansas City Chiefs team.”