Smyth misses out on Saints roster spot
Irish kicking hopeful Charlie Smyth has not made the 53-man roster of the New Orleans Saints, with Jude McAtamney also likely to miss out ahead of the season’s kick-off next week, writes SHANE BRENNAN.
Down man Smyth (right) was signed by the New Orleans Saints after going through the NFL’s International Player Pathway programme, where he earned his spot on the squad after impressing at the league’s combine in February.
His first kick in an NFL uniform was a last-second winning field goal in the Saints’ first pre-season game against the Arizona Cardinals, and a video of him hitting a 65-yarder in a practice session (the NFL record is 66 yards) fuelled hope he could earn the spot ahead of Blake Grupe.
But reports from the New Orleans Times-Picayune claimed that Smyth did not make the final list of 53. McAtamney had joined the New York Giants after spending two years playing college football at Rutgers. The Derryman hit two field goals in the Giants’ last pre-season game against the Jets over the weekend, but he faces tough competition with veteran kicker Graham Gano, especially considering the Giants recently handed Gano a contract extension worth more than $16m (€14.3m).
After release, players enter an uncertain 24-hour waiver period where they could be picked up by any team should they want them.
Some squads including the Green Bay Packers, where Wicklow’s Daniel Whelan plies his trade, are in the market for a kicker. If that does not happen, the likelihood is that the Saints and Giants will sign Smyth and McAtamney to their practice squads.