The reason the Saints have a different kicker today, rather than Blake Grupe.

Billy Heyen

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Why Saints have a new kicker today, not Blake Grupe image

TL;DR

  • The New Orleans Saints have a new kicker, Charlie Smyth, for their Week 13 game.
  • Blake Grupe was released after missing eight field goals this season.
  • Smyth, from Northern Ireland, joined the Saints via the NFL's International Pathways Program.
  • He trained in Dallas this season and made four field goals in the 2025 preseason.

The New Orleans Saints have a new kicker on Sunday for their Week 13 game against the Miami Dolphins.

Blake Grupe was released on Tuesday. He failed to make two field goal attempts last week, bringing his season total to eight missed field goals.

Now, New Orleans will rely on a kicker from Northern Ireland.

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Who has been appointed as the Saints' new placekicker?

The Saints' new kicker is Charlie Smyth.

The Northern Irishman previously played Gaelic football back home.

He joined the Saints originally as part of the NFL's International Pathways Program.

In the 2025 preseason, Smyth made all four of his field goals, including two from beyond 50 yards.

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This 24-year-old has actually been training in Dallas throughout this season with a kicking instructor, instead of remaining stagnant behind Grupe in New Orleans.

“We didn’t want him to be here hanging out and not getting better on the practice squad,” Saints special teams coach Phil Galiano told the Associated Press. "So, that was a plan that we had put together in training camp that we had lined up for the middle of the season.”

This week, the Saints also brought Cade York onto their practice squad, yet they opted for Smyth to handle the kicking duties on Sunday, rather than York.

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Senior Editor