Kellen Moore finally made the decision we have been patiently, or impatiently, waiting for the New Orleans Saints to make. The team let go of kicker Daniel Carlson, which points to Charlie Smyth taking over as the starting kicker. If that wasn't enough, the Saints also brought back Audric Estime has the corresponding move to releasing Carlson.
Carlson had been the worst kicker in the NFL this year, and anyone who has been worse than him had already lost their job. He struggled with field goals and extra points, and he’s shown zero reason to inspire confidence.
The bye week was all about self scouting, and it would have been disrespectful to the game to see the Saints enter Sunday's game without making a change. Carlson has missed a kick, whether field goal or extra point, in all but one game.
Charlie Smyth is Saints' obvious option to replace Daniel Carlson
This was the only way out of this. Carlson had earned the right to lose his job, and the only person who will take over from him on Sunday is Charlie Smyth.
The way Carlson has performed this year, a move should have been made before we even made it through the bye week. It shouldn’t have taken long to come to the conclusion that what was on the field wasn’t good enough and decided we’re going to take our chances with another option, results be what they are.
However, the move has happened now, and at least it didn't go one more week. Whether it was bringing someone off the street or calling Smyth up from the practice squad. All signs seem to point to the latter.
The team chose to not bring in any kickers during the bye week, so it's hard to imagine they'll bring any in during this week. The bye would have given them ample time to evaluate. Choosing not to means they liked what was in house.
Smyth can’t be worse than Carlson, and if he is, the Saints should go find another option. Carlson has proven he’s not the answer.
The Saints hope Smyth has taken a step forward from where he was a year ago, but even if he hasn't, last year's production was better than Carlson's 2026. For starters, Smyth made all of his extra points, which we can't say for Carlson.
Smyth is going to have to be more consistent from his first year, but it's important to remember he's new to American football. Improvements should be expected. Now, it's just time to see it come to fruition.
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