- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,151,979
- Reaction score
- 59
The New Orleans Saints still haven't recovered from their 2023 decision to trade Wil Lutz to the Denver Broncos and roll with Blake Grupe, an untested rookie free agent. Per Stathead and Pro Football Reference, no team has missed more field goals since the Saints made that switch than New Orleans -- not counting blocks, they've missed the uprights 22 times. No other team has missed more than 20 times, with the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams, and New England Patriots tied at 19 each. If you do include blocked field goals, only the Falcons have missed more times (24, to New Orleans' 23).
You'd like to think the Saints have turned over a new leaf by pivoting from Grupe to Charlie Smyth. But Smyth missed four times in six games after replacing him late in 2025. The team signed Mason Shipley as an undrafted free agent from Texas to compete with Smyth at training camp. Both guys are unknown commodities.
As for Lutz? He's had three kicks blocked by the opposing team in three years with Denver, and he's missed outright eight times. He's still performing at a high level. It was understandable for the Saints to move on after he missed a year with an injury and looked unsteady after coming back, but their plan for life without him left a lot to be desired. Hopefully either Smyth or Shipley steps up this summer and makes these kicking woes a thing of the past. If not, we could see the Saints invest in an experienced pro next offseason just like they signed Ryan Wright in free agency this spring.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints lead the NFL in missed field goals since trading Wil Lutz
Continue reading...
You'd like to think the Saints have turned over a new leaf by pivoting from Grupe to Charlie Smyth. But Smyth missed four times in six games after replacing him late in 2025. The team signed Mason Shipley as an undrafted free agent from Texas to compete with Smyth at training camp. Both guys are unknown commodities.
As for Lutz? He's had three kicks blocked by the opposing team in three years with Denver, and he's missed outright eight times. He's still performing at a high level. It was understandable for the Saints to move on after he missed a year with an injury and looked unsteady after coming back, but their plan for life without him left a lot to be desired. Hopefully either Smyth or Shipley steps up this summer and makes these kicking woes a thing of the past. If not, we could see the Saints invest in an experienced pro next offseason just like they signed Ryan Wright in free agency this spring.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints lead the NFL in missed field goals since trading Wil Lutz
Continue reading...
