Here’s your new Wil Lutz replacement: NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill and NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Friday that the New Orleans Saints are signing veteran kicker Aldrick Rosas following a successful free agent workout. Rosas competed with two rookie kickers and made the best impression with New Orleans’ coaches, who were seeking to find a stopgap until Lutz returns from core muscle surgery later this year.
Rosas, 26, was a Pro Bowler and second team All-Pro in 2018 with the New York Giants but ended up being released and suspended four games in 2020 following a hit-and-run incident. He’s set a personal-best of 57 yards on field goal tries, connecting on 81.4% of his 86 career attempts. He’ll have an opportunity to show what he can do inside Caesars Superdome when the Saints hold their first private practice there on Friday night, days ahead of their second preseason game (against the Jacksonville Jaguars).
Still, Rosas shouldn’t be the assumed Week 1 kicker for New Orleans. The Saints will continue to monitor the free agent market (remember, their first candidate was Brett Maher, who injured himself warming up last week) and the waiver wire as rival teams begin to trim their rosters down throughout the preseason. One name to watch is Baltimore Ravens backup Jake Verity, who nailed on two field goals (from 42 and 53 yards) in last week’s game with the Saints. Verity is this summer’s understudy to ironclad Ravens kicker Justin Tucker — ironically just as Lutz once was. Don’t be surprised if the Saints go to that well again should Rosas disappoint them.
The corresponding roster move for Rosas’ addition was the waiving of rookie tight end Josh Pederson, a Louisiana-Monroe product and the son of ex-Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson.
