Tag: Wil Lutz

Pro Bowl Saints kicker Wil Lutz says he’s cleared to play in 2022

New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz says he’s cleared to play in 2022 after ‘multiple surgeries and setbacks,’ hoping to return to Pro Bowl form:

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This is big: New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz announced on Instagram Monday that he has been officially cleared to play in 2022, which comes as a relief after a frustrating yearlong recovery from a core muscle injury — citing “multiple surgeries and setbacks,” that delayed his return to the field, Lutz has now finally been given the green light to fully participate in Saints summer practices leading up to training camp.

That’s big for a team that experienced as many kicking woes as New Orleans. Four different place kickers got into games for the Saints last year, connecting on 25 of 30 field goal tries (making just one of four tries from 50-plus yards) with a cringeworthy 31-of-38 line on extra point attempts. For comparison, Lutz has hit 142 of his 164 career field goals, or 86.6%; Aldrick Rosas, Brian Johnson, Cody Parkey, and Brett Maher only got to 83.3% as a team in 2021. On point-after tries, Lutz has made 253 of 260 kicks, or 97.3%, in the NFL. That group combined for a success rate of 81.6%.

Those are eye-popping numbers, and it does a lot to illustrate just how rough the situation was for New Orleans without Lutz. To put it another way, Lutz has never scored fewer than 126 points in a single season with the Saints. Maher (58), Johnson (29), Rosas (16), and Parkey (3) totaled 106. In a year when the Saints posted a pedestrian 9-8 record and a mediocre scoring differential (+29), it’s hard to believe having Lutz just matching his career-low and scoring 20 more points than his replacements wouldn’t have made a big difference.

Now healthy, let’s hope Lutz can do more than meet expectations — having him return to form and become a weapon for the Saints in the kicking game again would be vital for them in 2022. Beyond the ongoing recoveries for Michael Thomas and Jameis Winston, there may not be a more important injury situation for New Orleans to monitor than Lutz’s. Hopefully they can each also receive clearance for a full workload sooner rather than later.

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Saints announce they have waived Brett Maher

The Saints announced Tuesday that they have waived veteran kicker Brett Maher, opening the door for Wil Lutz’s return, via @KadeKistner:

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The New Orleans Saints announced Tuesday that they waived veteran kicker Brett Maher, who helped bring some consistency to their kicking game after Wil Lutz missed the entire 2021 season with an injury. After undergoing surgery and starting the season on injured reserve, he suffered a setback and was ruled out for the year in October.

New Orleans then cycled through Aldrick Rosas, Cody Parkey and Brian Johnson to help stem the tide. However, they were less than impressive for the Saints. The three kickers went a combined 9-for-12 on field goal attempts and connected on 21 of 26 extra point tries before New Orleans brought in Maher. The Nebraska native finished the season by converting 16 of his 18 field goal tries with a long of 42-yards. He was 10-for-12 on extra point attempts.

However, Lutz is expected to be ready for the start of the 2022 season so Maher won’t factor into their plans. He was on track to be a restricted free agent in March, and by releasing him the Saints are giving him a head start on catching onto a new team. As for the other kickers they worked with in 2021: Rosas is currently with the Detroit Lions and Johnson landed with the Washington Commanders, while Parkey is out of the NFL.

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Washington Football Team signs ex-Saints kicker Brian Johnson

Washington Football Team signs ex-Saints kicker Brian Johnson

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Former New Orleans Saints kicker Brian Johnson is signing with the Washington Football Team following an injury to starter Joey Slye, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Johnson was recently released by the Saints in favor of Brett Maher and initially landed with the Chicago Bears practice squad before getting called up to Washington’s active roster.

Washington lost Slye to a hamstring injury midway through their Monday night win over the Seattle Seahawks, electing to keep their offense on the field for subsequent two-point conversion attempts and fourth downs in opposing territory. Now Johnson will get an opportunity to step in while Slye recovers over the next three weeks on injured reserve.

Johnson, 22, connected on all 8 of his field goal tries for the Saints but only went 5-of-8 on extra point attempts in four games. The rookie out of Virginia Tech was waived once Maher finished recovering from a preseason groin injury, having been New Orleans’ first choice to step in for Wil Lutz. Johnson signed with the Saints after their game against Washington earlier this season, replacing the struggling Cody Parkey.

He’ll have an opportunity to help the frisky Washington squad which is currently the projected seventh seed in the NFC playoff picture with a 5-6 record, trailing the reeling 7-4 Dallas Cowboys on top of the NFC East.

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Saints waive struggling kicker Brian Johnson, promote Brett Maher

New Orleans Saints waive kicker Brian Johnson, promote Brett Maher

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As expected, the New Orleans Saints have moved on from rookie kicker Brian Johnson and promoted Brett Maher from the practice squad. Johnson nailed all eight of his field goal tries across four games for the Saints, but his inconsistency on extra point attempts (where he went 5-of-8) was too problematic to ignore. Johnson made all 131 point-after tries in his Virginia Tech career, but moving the attempt from the 3-yard line (a 21-yard attempt)  in college to the 15-yard line (a 33-yard try) in the NFL was a tough adjustment.

In a corresponding move, the Saints signed Maher from their practice squad and he will be their kicker in Sunday’s game with the Philadelphia Eagles (which also happens to be his 32nd birthday). Maher connected on 49 of 66 field goals over two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys while making 68 of 69 point-after tries.

Maher initially signed with the Saints as their first choice to replace injured Pro Bowler Wil Lutz, but the veteran injured himself warming up for a preseason game and landed on injured reserve. After that the Saints cycled through a series of options ranging from Johnson to Cody Parkey and Aldrick Rosas, so hopefully Maher can be steady enough to finish out the season.

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Saints bring back veteran kicker Brett Maher to the practice squad

Saints fans wanted a different kicker, and now they’ve got one: the team is signing Brett Maher to its practice squad

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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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Saints kicker Wil Lutz says he won’t play in 2021 after post-surgery setback

Saints kicker Wil Lutz says he won’t play in 2021 after post-surgery setback

This is really tough. New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz announced Tuesday that he suffered a setback during rehab from preseason core muscle surgery that will require him to shut down for the 2021 season. The 2019 Pro Bowler injured a groin muscle last year and tried to work through it in training camp, but ultimately had to go under the knife. New Orleans designated him to return from injured reserve last week but now we know he won’t be kicking in 2021.

It’s a huge loss for the Saints, who relied on Lutz to kick several game-winning field goals in his career so far. He’s achieved an 86.6% success rate on field goals while connecting on 97.3% of his extra-point attempts, and he’s going to be very difficult to replace.

The good news is that rookie kicker Brian Johnson performed well in the rain against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night, nailing two field goals from 21 and 33 yards as well as his lone point-after try. But that’s a far cry from the expectations Lutz has earned over time. We’ll see how Johnson performs as the season continues after he took over from a carousel of kickers including Brett Maher, Aldrick Rosas, and Cody Parkey.

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4 things the Saints need to improve after the bye week

The New Orleans Saints have room to improve on offense, defense, and special teams coming out of their bye week:

The bye week has come and gone, and the New Orleans Saints are gearing up for their next game — prime-time kickoff on the road with the Seattle Seahawks. They’ve had plenty of time to evaluate themselves and find areas to improve, which, given their 3-2 record aren’t in short supply.

Still, here are four things we want to see improvement from on Monday night:

Kwon Alexander, Marcus Davenport among latest Saints designated to return from I.R.

Kwon Alexander, Marcus Davenport, and Tre’Quan Smith are among the latest Saints designated to return from injured reserve:

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There’s some good news: the New Orleans Saints designated three more players to return from injured reserve on Tuesday, Oct. 19, including two starters on defense. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill was the first to report the change in status for each player, which was confirmed on the daily update to the NFL transactions wire.

Just because they’ve been designated to return doesn’t mean all three players will suit up for Week 7’s road game with the Seattle Seahawks. They’ve opened a 21-day window in which to practice in team drills and prove they’ve fully recovered before receiving the green light to join the 53-man roster (just like Pro Bowl kicker Wil Lutz). So while it’s possible all three of them are on the field next Monday, it’s hardly guaranteed.

Here’s a quick look into each player’s situation, and who else is eligible to return once healthy:

Saints designate Wil Lutz to return from injured reserve

The New Orleans Saints designated Pro Bowl kicker Wil Lutz to return from injured reserve, opening his practice window for three weeks:

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Help is on the way. The New Orleans Saints designated Pro Bowl kicker Wil Lutz to return from injured reserve on Monday, opening his 21-day window to practice with the team. It doesn’t mean he’s a sure thing to kick against the Seattle Seahawks in New Orleans’ next game on Oct. 25, but it does give us an idea of when Lutz will be available.

So if he isn’t ready for this week’s kickoff, Lutz could return in subsequent games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Atlanta Falcons. He’s been unavailable since early in training camp after undergoing core muscle surgery, and the Saints have struggled to replace him. Two of his potential replacements — Brett Maher and Cody Parkey — suffered similar groin injuries during pregame warmups to knock them out of action, while Aldrick Rosas was too erratic to trust any longer.

Now it’s up to Brian Johnson, signed off the Chicago Bears practice squad, to step up. Johnson must remain on the 53-man roster for at least three games, which lines up neatly with Lutz’s practice timeline. At some point New Orleans will have two kickers on the roster which isn’t that big of a problem given how often players can be promoted from the practice squad on game days.

The Saints played a couple games this year with only 51 of 53 roster spots filled thanks to that loophole, so rostering Johnson and Lutz together (albeit briefly) isn’t something Sean Payton or any other New Orleans decision-maker will be losing sleep over. Stay tuned for any other players designated to return from injured reserve in the days ahead, but we may have to wait until Thursday’s initial injury report for clarity.

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Twitter reactions after Blake Gillikin snubbed for Special Teams Player of the Week

Twitter reactions after Blake Gillikin snubbed for Special Teams Player of the Week:

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New Orleans Saints punter Blake Gillikin had the best game of his young career against the Washington Football Team, but he wasn’t recognized as NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. Instead that honor belongs to T.J. Edwards, a Philadelphia Eagles backup linebacker who blocked a punt last week.

Naturally fans and media close to the team raised an uproar over this on Twitter: