Charlie Smyth Injury News & Updates

Smyth signed with the Saints' practice squad Wednesday, Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

As expected, Blake Grupe won the kicking job in New Orleans, so Smyth will be the de facto backup for the 2025 season like he was last season. Smyth is from Northern Ireland and stood out at the 2024 NFL Combine by hitting 12 of 16 field-goal attempts. He hit all four field-goal tries during the preseason, two of which were from beyond 50 yards.

The Saints waived Smyth on Tuesday.

Smyth was unable to beat out Blake Grupe for the kicking gig in New Orleans. Smyth did have a good preseason, however, making all four of his field-goal tries and both extra-point attempts.

The Saints signed Smyth to a reserve/future contract Monday.

Smyth signed with the Saints as a qualifying international player in late March, but he didn't manage to make the 53-man roster after injuring his groin in late August. He stuck around on the practice squad but wasn't elevated for a single game during the 2024 regular season. Smyth will have an opportunity to compete with Blake Grupe for the kicking duties for 2025 during OTAs and training camp.

Smyth (groin) signed with the Saints' practice squad Wednesday.

The kicker was waived by the team Tuesday. Smyth's groin injury caused him to miss the Saints' preseason game against the Titans on Sunday. Blake Grupe kicked in that game and ended up as the kicker on the team's depth chart.

Head coach Dennis Allen said after Sunday's preseason loss the Titans that Smyth did not play due to groin tightness, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Smyth has been dealing with the injury since Friday, and Allen relayed that he didn't want the issue to be aggravated. Blake Grupe handled the kicking duties Sunday and went 2-for-2 on his field-goal attempts and made all three of his extra-point tries.

Smyth converted his lone field-goal atttempt during Saturday's 16-14 victory over Arizona.

Smyth got his first and only chance for a field goal with eight seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, and he did not disappoint hitting a 37-yarder to seal the victory for New Orleans. The 22-year-old first got on the field for the opening kickoff of the second half, as returning starter Blake Grupe handled the kicking duties in the first half. However, Grupe did step back in for the team's only point-after-attempt of the second half, and he went 2-for-2 on field-goal tries for the game. Smyth joined New Orleans through the NFL's International Player Pathway by way of Ireland, and he's likely still considered a longshot to unseat Grupe as the Saints' starting kicker this preseason. His next opportunity will come in Sunday's road contest against the 49ers.