Saints release Aldrick Rosas, sign another temporary Wil Lutz replacement
By Justin Fried
The New Orleans Saints didn’t wait long to find a replacement for Aldrick Rosas. After releasing the struggling kicker on Tuesday, the Saints agreed to terms with former Cleveland Browns kicker Cody Parkey.
Parkey is being brought in to be the Saints’ second temporary replacement for the injured Wil Lutz who remains on the injured reserve after undergoing core muscle surgery in early August.
Rosas has been the team’s kicker for the first four games of the season and he’s produced mixed results, to say the least.
After making his only field-goal attempt in Week 1, Rosas has gone on to miss his next three field goals including a 58-yarder this past Sunday.
Head coach Sean Payton expressed regret for sending Rosas out to kick insisting that he would have punted in hindsight after the game.
The former Pro Bowler made just 1-of-4 field goals in his brief stint with the Saints but did make all 13 of his extra-point attempts.
Payton was critical of Rosas’ performance after the game hinting that change could be coming. And that’s exactly what has happened.
Cody Parkey is the Saints’ latest replacement for Wil Lutz
Lutz could be set to return in the near future meaning that Parkey’s stay in New Orleans might not be very long. While no official timetable has been specified, ESPN’s Mike Triplett is reporting that Lutz is only expected to miss “a couple more weeks.”
The Saints have their BYE week in Week 6 which will give Lutz extra time to recover. There’s a chance that he returns in time for their Week 7 game meaning that Parkey would only be brought in to kick for one game.
A former Pro Bowler in his own right, Parkey has had stints with five NFL teams including two separate stints with the Browns. He was Cleveland’s kicker last season connecting on 19-of-22 field goals and 43-of-47 extra points.
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The Saints will hope to see consistency from Parkey before Lutz returns in the near future. At the very least, they’ll hope he could prove to be a bit more reliable than Rosas.