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4 major overreactions from Saints’ preseason win over Chiefs: Hot takes at running back, cornerback, and competition on special teams
Some things went really, really well for the New Orleans Saints in their preseason win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Other things didn’t. Some players had the worst day imaginable, while others reached heights no one expected of them.
It was as dramatic a finish as fans could hope for in the preseason opener. Things are going to shift wildly in the month ahead, so let’s recap everything with our biggest and boldest overreactions after the first week of the preseason:
Rookie kicker Blake Grupe recounted an unforgettable New Orleans Saints preseason debut, including two run-ins with Caesars Superdome security:
Step 1: get questioned walking onto the field pregame for not having credentials
Step 2: hit a game winner
Step 3: get stopped by security thinking I was a fan when trying to walk out the player exit
Stay humble. Thankful. Great team win! @Saints #WHODAT
— Blake Grupe (@blakegrupe) August 13, 2023
Blake Grupe had a day at the Caesars Superdome he won’t soon forget — getting the nod to try the game-winning field goal as time expired, a huge opportunity to draw a line in the sand during his roster battle with Pro Bowl kicker Wil Lutz.
And he came through for the New Orleans Saints. But that’s just one part of the three-step process that Grupe reflected on after the game. In addition to nailing the game-winner, he had a couple of run-ins with security at the Caesars Superdome he can’t help but laugh at. It’s certainly a memorable experience for the former Notre Dame standout.
Retelling the story on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Grupe says he was approached by venue security while taking the field for pregame warmups Sunday morning, having shown up without credentials. And that was a problem after the game, too, when Grupe says security stopped him at the players’ exit while mistaking him for a rogue fan.
Look, you can’t be too vigilant. Back in 2021 a UTSA student fooled security at Kyle Field into giving him VIP access at a Texas A&M home game during their upset win over Alabama. But come on. Nobody had eyes on Grupe as he was leaving the arena? We’re guessing mistaken identity won’t be an issue for him much longer.
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The Saints signed an extension with long snapper Zach Wood, keeping one of their most underrated players on the team through 2027:
Congrats to our guy Zach Wood ⚜️
The #Saints have signed long snapper Zach Wood to a four-year contract extension ✍️ pic.twitter.com/b42d7i2YR6
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) July 28, 2023
Now that’s what you like to see: the New Orleans Saints announced a four-year contract extension with long snapper Zach Wood, tying him to the team through 2027. Wood was one of several players we highlighted as priorities for new deals this summer, having become one of the team’s most underrated assets for his steady work on special teams. His presence is appreciated by teammates Wil Lutz and Blake Gillikin, who joined him for the formal signing at the team facility on Friday.
Wood’s arrival to New Orleans was more tumultuous than you’d expect. Back in 2017, the Saints were so unsatisfied with a training camp competition between Thomas Gafford and Chase Dominguez that they released both players and brought back veteran snapper Justin Drescher, who appeared to have lost his touch. That led them to trade for Philadelphia Eagles fan-favorite Jon Dorenbos — only to rush him into heart surgery after discovering a career-ending aortic aneurysm during his physical. Wood took part in a group tryout just days before the regular season started, won a roster spot, and he hasn’t looked back since.
This is the second extension the Saints have signed with Wood, now 30 years old; he previously inked a four-year deal back in 2020 after playing out his rookie contract. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that Wood received $2.3 million in guarantees, which would rank among the highest figures in league history for a long snapper (New York Jets specialist Thomas Hennessy currently leads the NFL with just over $2.6 million, per Over The Cap records). Hopefully Wood can continue to do his job well and be a part of the solution for New Orleans.
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Rookie New Orleans Saints kicker Blake Grupe impressed at his second training camp practice, nailing all six of his field goal tries:
Good on you, Blake Grupe. The rookie kicker out of Notre Dame hasn’t shied away from the competition posed by his former Pro Bowl teammate Wil Lutz at New Orleans Saints training camp — after ending organized team activities in June with a 59-yard field goal, Grupe picked up where he left off in July by hitting all six of his kicks at Thursday’s practice session, at ranges from 33 to 44 yards out.
That’s per Saints News Network’s Ross Jackson, who noted that Lutz hit the same marks a day earlier. Neither kicker has pulled away from the other through the first two days of practice, which is probably what we should have expected to open camp. But it’s good to see Grupe rising to the occasion.
Lutz looked rusty after a surgically-repaired groin muscle kept him out of football in 2021, returning for 2022 only to miss 8 of his 31 field goals (though he was perfect on 33 extra-point attempts). His 74.2% success rate on field goals was his worst as a pro, and it dropped his career average from 86.6% down to 84.6%. Lutz agreed to take a pay cut this offseason to compete for his job and earn back what he had given up, saving the Saints some salary cap space along the way, but the move also made it easier to let him go if the rookie impresses enough to win the battle.
More strong performances like Thursday’s kicking period will continue to help Grupe’s case. Let’s see how he does in front of a live audience on Friday when the Saints welcome several thousand fans to the team facility for an open practice session.
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Cameron Jordan is the New Orleans Saints’ longest-tenured player in 2023. Here are the 15 active leaders for games played in black and gold:
Here’s a stat that sounds fake, but isn’t: Cameron Jordan has appeared in nearly as many regular season games for the New Orleans Saints (192) as their second- and third-ranked active players combined, with neither long snapper Zach Wood (98) nor kicker Wil Lutz (97) yet to pass the century mark.
We’ve talked often about Jordan’s durability, but this also reflects the big turnover the team has experienced in recent years. Well-established players like longtime punter Thomas Morstead (190 games), defensive linemen David Onyemata (106), Marcus Davenport (63), and Shy Tuttle (63) have all moved on to other teams, as has Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead (97) and former franchise tagged free safety Marcus WIlliams (76). The Saints look a lot different in the years since Drew Brees (228) hung up his cleats. Mark Ingram II (123) might be next to join him.
So who are the veteran presences left in the locker room? These 15 Saints players have hit the field for more games in black and gold than all of their teammates:
The Saints believe a legitimate kicker competition is brewing ahead of training camp, between the embattled Wil Lutz and first-year pro Blake Grupe:
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Some serious training camp competitions are brewing for the New Orleans Saints, even at kicker. Wil Lutz returned from a yearlong absence recovering from a core muscle injury only to underperform in 2022, and the Saints brought in undrafted rookie Blake Grupe out of Notre Dame to push him.
Grupe might do more than that — he connected on all five of his field goal tries Tuesday, capping the day’s work with a successful 59-yarder. It’s just practice and you don’t want to read too deeply into that, but it’s worth noting Lutz is only 5-of-12 from 55-plus yards (including a blocked attempt in the 2023 regular season finale) in his career.
If Grupe can consistently hit kicks at closer range while matching Lutz in distance, he’ll make this a tough decision for New Orleans. Just ask Saints head coach Dennis Allen, who noted the rookie’s strong day after practice on Tuesday.
“He’s kicking the ball well. I feel like we’ve got two really good kickers,” Allen said, via Nola.com’s Rod Walker. “I think there is going to be some great competition throughout training camp. And I’m excited to watch it play out.”
So what’s Grupe’s story? He played at Demario Davis’s alma mater the first four years in college, leaving Arkansas State for Notre Dame in 2022 after connecting on 64 of his 86 field goal tries (74.4%) while making 162 of his 168 extra point attempts (96.4%). He was successful on all 49 of his point-after tries last season but only made 14 of 19 field goals (73.7%), with his longest attempt traveling just 46 yards. His longest field goal at Arkansas State went 50 yards, so anything further than that is uncharted territory for him.
But he’s off to a good start. If Grupe has a strong preseason performance, he just might unseat Lutz, despite the Pro Bowler’s strong resume.
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The Saints waived second-year kicker Alex Quevedo, thin out the training camp competition brewing between Wil Lutz and Blake Grupe, via @DillySanders:
Full Release ✍️https://t.co/EhE36S2gC4
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 31, 2023
Earlier on Wednesday when the New Orleans Saints announced the signings of two new offensive players, they also announced that they were waiving former Central Oklahoma kicker Alex Quevedo. Quevedo was signed back in January to a reserve/future deal after trying out for the team last summer. The 90-man roster is now at full capacity and any additional pickups will require a corresponding move.
With Quevedo off the team, the Saints now only have two kickers left on the roster in Wil Lutz and Blake Grupe. Lutz has been the primary kicker since 2016. He had been a very reliable kicker for most of his career, but after coming back from an injury that kept him out for his entire 2021 season, he had a career worst year in 2022. Lutz completed just 74.2% of his kicks last season, he’d previously not gone below 82%. Now, it’s not time to kick him off the team just yet but having some alternatives on the roster makes sense to test the waters and push Lutz a little bit more.
Grupe, the former Notre Dame and Arkansas State kicker, made 211 out of 217 point-after attempts in his college career. He was less efficient on actual field goals, a career 74.3% kicker, but it will be interesting to see how he performs in camp. Lutz will still be the team’s kicker in 2023 in all likelihood unless Grupe can make a very impressive effort over the summer.
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How far away are the Saints from salary cap compliance? Their latest moves with Ryan Ramczyk and Wil Lutz covered a lot of ground:
The New Orleans Saints took a couple of important steps towards reaching salary cap compliance on Thursday, restructuring their deal with standout right tackle Ryan Ramczyk while agreeing to bring back struggling kicker Wil Lutz on a pay cut. These two moves saved a combined $11.8 million in salary cap space, leaving New Orleans over the 2023 salary cap by about $35.5 million.
Not bad considering they were over the cap by more than $58 million just a few weeks ago, and they haven’t lost a single player. With free agency on the horizon in March, it’s vital that the Saints continue to set up their books to keep their best talent in town and prepare for new additions. So what comes next?
We’ve outlined the many different roster moves and contract restructures available to the Saints this offseason, but there are a couple of obvious decisions ahead of them. Let’s recap them in brief:
Teams are allowed to release just two players with a post-June 1 designation, though, and that’s also a likely option for wide receiver Michael Thomas (saving $1,165,000), so it could be more feasible to restructure Peat’s deal and let him play it out. The point is that the Saints have several avenues ahead of them in reaching salary cap compliance, and these four moves alone would do it. After that, they’ll be looking to open up more room for signing free agents in the weeks ahead.
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Embattled Saints kicker Wil Lutz is returning for 2023 after agreeing to a pay cut, though he can win it back through new contract incentives:
The New Orleans Saints have chosen to bring back their embattled kicker Wil Lutz for 2023, but on an important condition: that he agree to a pay cut. ESPN’s Field Yates first reported that the Saints reworked their deal with Lutz to save $1.5 million in salary cap space, which was confirmed by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill — who adds that this was not a restructure. Instead of carrying a $3.4 million base salary for the upcoming season, Lutz is seeing just $1.9 million.
But he can earn much of it back through incentives added to his contract, per NOF’s Mike Triplett. If Lutz returns to form and does his job well in the fall, he won’t have lost any money. That’s a big “if,” though. He missed the entire 2021 season recovering from core muscle surgery and he looked rusty in 2022. Lutz did improve on extra point attempts, making all 33 of them, but his shakiness on field goals from varying distances was a problem throughout the season. He missed his first 44-yard field goal try in the Saints’ season-ending loss to the Carolina Panthers and had his second attempt (at a distance of 55 yards) blocked.
Of the 20 kickers to attempt 31 or more field goals last season, Lutz is one of four to have connected on fewer than 80% of their tries:
Now Lutz carries the 12th-highest salary cap hit among NFL kickers at $4.12 million, having previously ranked 5th at $5.62 million. He’s in the final year of his contract and the Saints have already brought in some competition by signing Alex Quevedo to a reserve/future deal (he tried out for them last summer), and the lack of guarantees mean the Saints could save more money by releasing Lutz this summer if another kicker outplays him in training camp. He has a lot on the line in 2023.
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The Saints took a big step back in Rick Gosselin’s 2022 NFL special teams rankings. After finishing 1st, 5th, and 5th from 2019 to 2021, they’ve dropped to 20th:
The New Orleans Saints special teams squad had a rough go of it in 2022. Place kicker Wil Lutz had his worst year as a pro by connecting on just 74.1% of his field goal tries, lowest for a team in the NFL, and it took a while for Rashid Shaheed to emerge as their best option returning punts and kickoffs. The Saints struggled to cover their own kicks, too, with injuries sidelining some of their best gunners at different points throughout the year.
It all compounded for New Orleans to rank at No. 20 in Rick Gosselin’s 2022 NFL special teams rankings. Gosselin has been scoring every team’s performance in the game’s third phase for years and he’s seen as the foremost authority on special teams play around the league. So it’s concerning to see the Saints fall within the bottom-third of the league.
That’s a steep drop from their fifth-best ranking in 2021 and 2020. And it’s kind of surprising. The Saints were ranked first in the NFL back in 2019, the first year with special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi in the building. Rizzi added the assistant head coach title in 2022 so it’s possible his added responsibilities in that role led to some gaffes in the kicking game, but that’s impossible to prove from the outside looking in.
Hopefully things turn around in 2023. The Saints may release Lutz as a salary cap casualty, and punter Blake Gillikin is a restricted free agent (as is their special teams ace J.T. Gray). Six of their top seven players in special teams snaps played last year are pending free agents: linebacker Andrew Dowell (379 snaps), safety Daniel Sorensen (319), Gray (320), linebacker Kaden Elliss (278), running back Dwayne Washington (259), and linebacker Chase Hansen (197). Change feels inevitable there, but after a down performance it’s probably needed.
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