The New Orleans Saints appear to have found their answer at kicker with veteran Daniel Carlson, a two-time All-Pro who brings a proven track record and a powerful leg to New Orleans’ special teams unit.
The former Las Vegas Raiders kicker signed with New Orleans on Aug. 24 and wasted little time making his case for the Saints’ kicking job. Carlson took part in his first practice just two days later and then suited up for the Saints’ preseason matchup against Dallas two days after that. He converted
both of his field-goal attempts, including a game-winning 53-yarder, in the Saints’ 27-24 victory over the Cowboys.
Carlson’s quick transition helped him move ahead of Charlie Smyth and Tanner Brown, who had been competing for the job since Brown joined the Saints in June.
Saints head coach Kellen Moore praised Carlson’s performance despite having just a brief window to evaluate him, while acknowledging the difficult decision the team faced at kicker.
“We really only had two days with Daniel, and so obviously feel like he showed himself well,” Moore said. “Made a nice kick at Dallas. More time on task will be beneficial for him. Those are tough decisions — Tanner is a kicker in this league, Charlie is a kicker in this league, I think we had some really good guys there. Daniel is going to do a great job for us.”
After spending his previous eight seasons with the Raiders, Carlson made 225 of 259 career field-goal attempts (86.9%) and earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2022. He will now take over the kicking duties in New Orleans, hoping to provide stability at a position that has been inconsistent for the Saints over the past few seasons.
