Daniel Carlson made two kicks from beyond 50 yards and essentially saved his job for the time being. It can be difficult to bring new players along when playing an overseas game, especially since the team left right after the game, and that could have been his saving grace. Kellen Moore may have been left with no choice but to find the New Orleans Saints a new kicker had Carlson not made those last two kicks, if he learned from his previous mistakes that is.
The former Las Vegas Raiders kicker should be on thin ice due to his early season performance. Carlson was a late addition to the kicker battle, and he won it quickly with a pair of made field goals in his first and only preseason game. That spoke more to the state of the battle he was entering than Carlson himself, and it’s starting to become clear that he may not have been such a clear winner if he had more time to lose the battle.
Carlson has missed a field goal or extra point in all but one game this year, and in the two games where he didn’t attempt a field goal, he missed an extra point in each contest. It almost feels obligatory at this point. Regardless, there is zero confidence in Carlson at this point, and it feels like a switch could happen at any time.
Feels like Kellen Moore is making the Blake Grupe mistake all over again
Carlson has missed the first two days of practice with a personal reason. He returned to practice on Friday, stating he wanted to spend more time with his pregnant wife. Sounds like he's good to go for Sunday, and the Saints won't have to call Charlie Smyth off the practice squad.
It would've been a cool story, since Smyth is also an international player, who’d be playing on an international stage for the first time. For future reference, they should keep him in mind, cool story or not
Would Smyth be the answer beyond a good story? Who knows. He had his own struggles a year ago, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Saints give him another shot at it.
Moore just had to ensure that he isn't making the same mistake he did last year with Blake Grupe, and that's being too slow to make a change. Grupe should have been let go much earlier than he was last year, and the Saints continued to keep him around, despite the obvious struggles.
Carlson's early struggles and the lack of urgency around them feel similar to last season. Even if the Saints didn't make a move, bringing in kickers for a workout would send a message to Carlson. He shouldn't be able to afford another missed kick, and if he does, it's clear Moore didn't learn from being patient to the point of waiting too long in this same position in 2025.
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