There's one less kicker on the New Orleans Saints' roster, at least for now. The Saints have released their incumbent kicker Charlie Smyth, as first reported by Mike Triplett for NewOrleans.Football
and confirmed by ESPN's Katherine Terrell and Luke Johnson for the Times-Picayune | The Advocate. Smyth is a good candidate to return on the practice squad because he wouldn't take up a roster spot; the Saints would instead get an International Pathway Program exemption for holding onto the Irish kicker.Smyth entered training camp as the favorite to win the job, but the Saints brought in a couple of different kickers to challenge him. They initially signed former Texas Longhorns kicker Mason Shipley after the 2026 NFL Draft before pivoting to UFL
champion Tanner Brown, but no good option emerged out of the group. Then they brought in former Las Vegas Raiders Pro Bowler Daniel Carlson before the last preseason game. We're still waiting to see how wins the job, but there's still a good chance Smyth sticks around on the practice squad while another kicker dresses out on Sundays this fall. NOF's Nick Underhill reports that's exactly their intention.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints release one of three kickers before NFL roster cuts deadline
