After the Broncos parted ways with kicker Elliott Fry, coach Sean Payton made it clear that Brett Maher has not already won the kicker job in Denver.
“He’s competing with himself because he’s got 31 other teams,” Payton said on Aug. 15. “There are probably seven teams that have a real kicking battle, so he’s competing with those guys that come out of those clubs.”
There are actually 12 teams carrying two kickers entering the second week of preseason. That means at least six kickers are set to be waived later this month.
One of the 12 teams with an ongoing kicker competition is the Saints, who have veteran Wil Lutz competing with rookie Blake Grupe. Lutz went 23-of-31 on field goal attempts last year, representing the worst season of his career. Grupe hit a 31-yard game-winning field goal in New Orleans’ first preseason game last week.
Whichever kicker doesn’t end up making the Saints’ 53-man roster could be a target for Denver on the waiver wire. Lutz is coming off a down year, but he had a good stretch under Payton from 2016-2020.
Sometimes a change of scenery can help a kicker can get out of a rut (that’s what the Jaguars are hoping will happen with Brandon McManus after he ranked 29th in field goal percentage with the Broncos last year).
When New Orleans cuts a kicker later this month, Denver will be a team to keep an eye on as a potential landing spot.
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