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The Saints are re-signing veteran kicker Brett Maher to their practice squad, per agent Derrick Fox. Was with them this preseason before suffering a minor injury and now a candidate to potentially replace Brian Johnson.
— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) November 16, 2021
Well, alright. ESPN’s Mike Triplett first reported Tuesday that the New Orleans Saints will sign free agent kicker Brett Maher to their practice squad. The move follows some struggles for rookie Brian Johnson, who missed a pair of extra point attempts in last week’s 23-21 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Maher was the first kicker the Saints signed to fill in for injured Pro Bowler Wil Lutz this season, but he suffered a groin injury in pregame warmups before their first preseason matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. Maher went on injured reserve soon after and was later released with an injury settlement. He can be elevated from the practice squad twice this season before the Saints must sign him to the active roster to continue playing, assuming he unseats Johnson.
Here’s what I wrote of Maher when he first signed with the Saints back in August:
“Maher, 31, first entered the NFL as a punter back in 2013 and has bounced all around ever since, working as a placekicker full-time in 2014. He’s spent time with six different NFL teams (twice with the Jets and Cowboys, plus stops in Washington, Cleveland, Houston, and Arizona) and three CFL teams over the years, though his only extended action came with Dallas.
He’s connected on 49 of 66 career field goal tries (74.2%) and missed just once on 69 extra-point attempts in 29 games. Maher also singlehandedly won the first victory in the Ottawa Redblacks’ franchise history by making all six field goals in an 18-17 surprise. So we’ve got that going for us.”
The Saints have had a carousel of kickers move in and out of the building this season, ranging from Lutz and Johnson to Maher and Aldrick Rosas. Now they’ve turned again to Maher (who will turn 32 next Sunday, when the Saints kick off with the Philadelphia Eagles). In-season kicking competitions are rare, but not unheard of. Hopefully he can be an upgrade.
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