Saints reportedly sign former Raiders two-time All-Pro kicker

Saints reportedly sign former Raiders two-time All-Pro kicker originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New Orleans Saints have been holding a few different position battles this summer, and one of those has been at the kicker spot.

Charlie Smyth, last season's rookie hero, is competing with Tanner Brown, a rookie kicker out of Oklahoma State who previously spent time with the Los Angeles Rams.

But according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the Saints are going to sign veteran two-time All-Pro kicker Daniel Carlson to the roster to add a bit more competition to this kicker room.

"The Saints are signing two-time All-Pro K Daniel Carlson, his agents at @RangeSportsRMP tell me and @RapSheet," Garafolo reports.

Carlos, the former Las Vegas Raiders kicker, is going to compete with Smyth and Brown for the starting job this upcoming season.

It's a little odd that he's such a late add to camp, but with a few more weeks to go until the regular season begins, there is still time to determine the starting kicker.

Brown during the preseason this year has gone 2-for-3 on his field goals, with a long field goal of 49 yards. Smyth has missed his lone field goal attempt, although it was from 50_ yards, and he's made both of his extra point attempts.

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Smyth also went 12-for-16 last season on field goals, including a 57-yarder, and a perfect 13-for-13 on extra point attempts. The 25-year-old is the frontrunner, but Carlson is now a serious threat to win this job.

The 31-year-old kicker went 22-for-27 on field goals last season, hitting an 81.5% field goal rate, the lowest of his career since his 2019 season before the Raiders moved to Las Vegas.

He was a former first-team and second-team All-Pro, earning the former in 2023 and the latter in 2022. While he's not been as good as he was in the prime of his career, Carlson's recent production is intriguing enough to give him the starting job.

This signing is one to monitor, as the Saints might've just added their new starting kicker after Week 2 of the preseason, as neither Smyth nor Brown has run away with this kicker job.

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