Saints rookie kicker Blake Grupe continues impressive offseason
The New Orleans Saints have had Wil Lutz as their primary kicker for the past handful of seasons. At his peak, he has been a top five kicker in the entire NFL. With that, there have been some inconsistencies and injuries in the past couple of seasons as well, though. It's unfortunate for Lutz, but […]
The New Orleans Saints have had Wil Lutz as their primary kicker for the past handful of seasons. At his peak, he has been a top five kicker in the entire NFL. With that, there have been some inconsistencies and injuries in the past couple of seasons as well, though.
It's unfortunate for Lutz, but he has enjoyed a bounce-back offseason so far for New Orleans. He's healthy and confident. The Saints gave him a new deal during this offseason, too. That being said, a rookie kicker for the Saints is applying tons of pressure on the veteran.
Blake Grupe has been on fire as of late during the preseason and practices since he joined the team. He plays much bigger than his 5'7, 156-pound frame.
At practice on Friday, Grupe was a perfect 7/7 on his kicks, including a 59-yard FG. Lutz went 5/7 on Friday. Overall, the kicking percentages have been quite close between the two in practices, according to John Hendrix.
Both have been impressive during the team's two preseason games for far as well. Sunday's final preseason game versus the Houston Texans is important for both the veteran and the youngster.
Lutz may have the upper hand as a proven veteran with playoff experience, but Grupe isn't making it easy on him. Regardless, the Saints may find a way to keep both players on the 53-man roster. They know that whichever one they put on the practice squad would get picked up by another team quickly.
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