The 2024 kicking competition is in full swing for the New Orleans Saints. Well, maybe, it is in full kick? Regardless, the pressure is heating up on both kickers in Blake Grupe and Charlie Smyth.
Smyth is a big leg as a rookie that is trying to find a starting job as he enters pro football. Meanwhile, Grupe is trying to take advantage of a strong second half of the 2023 season after replacing Will Lutz.
Both have plenty of talent, but only one will be the starting kicker to begin the 2024 season for the Saints.
Rookie kicker Charlie Smyth battling inconsistency
The rookie boot has shown off his massive range already during training camp. He's nailed multiple 60-yard kicks, including a 62-yard field goal attempt on Sunday. he had room to spare on that make, too.
Clearly, the leg strength is no problem.
That being said, his touch on kicks has shown to be lacking at times. He missed two extra-point tries on Sunday. He's shown to be a bit streaky, making a handful of kicks in a row before missing a couple, so far.
Last week, he did have his best overall day of camp so far with a perfect outing on field goal attempts. He was impressive, according to Michael McQuaid.
We saw a bit of those issues from Grupe early last season. It felt like he would nail an attempt in the 50-yard range, then he would miss a kick closer to the 30-yard range. That's the life of a young kicker, on many occasions.
Meanwhile, Grupe has had his share of shaky moments in practice so far. Saturday was possibly his worst day so far. Although, Grupe has had some strong days mixed in, similarly to Smyth.
The preseason looms large for both players.
All in all, the ceiling certainly appears to be there for Smyth. We will see if he can iron out some of those consistencies to beat out Grupe in this competition. Only time will tell.
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