Saints take next step toward making necessary move that fans are begging Kellen Moore for following loss to Falcons

The Saints may replace Blake Grupe soon.

Adam Holt — NFL News Writer
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Nov 23, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints place kicker Blake Grupe (19) reacts with punter Kai Kroeger (32) after making a field goal against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Special teams can sometimes make or break you in the NFL. For the New Orleans Saints, they’ve got their eye on potentially adding a new kicker, via a recent update. It is a move that seems like it must occur at this point.

Saints are having tryouts to find new kicker

According to Nick Underhill, the Saints are bringing in some kickers for a tryout this week. Blake Grupe is a player who fans have clamored to replace at times this season, and that frustration reached new heights recently.

Grupe’s issues have been a glaring problem for much of this season, and those struggles came to a peak during New Orleans’ Week 12 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Grupe missed two first half field goal attempts, including a 38-yarder following a massive special teams return by wide receiver Mason Tipton.

Grupe is 18 of 26 on field goal attempts this year. That rate is among the worst in the NFL. Before the loss to Atlanta, the young boot had made eight FGs in a row. His eight missed attempts on the season is the most in the NFL, though. Now, it feels like the pressure on the coaching staff to replace him may be reaching levels they cannot ignore any longer.

Charlie Smyth is currently the other kicker in the building for New Orleans. He is on the practice squad and could get increased opportunities in practice this week to win the starting job for the time being. Regardless, this decision by the Saints clouds Grupe’s potential future with the team and opens the door for the organization to make a change that is necessary at this point.

I would expect some veteran kicker names to be involved in the tryouts this week for New Orleans. Keep your eye out for more info regarding this situation for the Saints special teams unit.

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