On this day 5 years ago
January 10th, 2016: Vikings vs Seahawks Wild Card game, kicker Blair Walsh shanks a 27-yard game winning FG attempt and the Vikings lose 9-10 pic.twitter.com/QbdUYrt0HJ
— Hogg (@HoggNFL) January 10, 2021
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that the New Orleans Saints will sign free agent kicker Blair Walsh to their practice squad as a potential fill-in should Wil Lutz be sidelined by COVID-19. It makes sense to keep an option in-house as an emergency replacement, but anyone upset by Lutz’s shaky performance in recent months won’t find Walsh to be much of an upgrade.
Walsh, 31, hasn’t kicked in an NFL game since Dec. 31, 2017. He’s only made two appearances in the playoffs with the Minnesota Vikings, missing a 27-yard try in the closing seconds of their 10-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in his last postseason action.
So keep hoping for Lutz to both remain healthy and to bounce back from the slump he’s found himself in. He’s only connected on 5 of his last 10 attempts since mid-November, and whiffed on a 50-yard field goal in the Saints’ playoff win over the Chicago Bears. He has to play better, whether he’s battling an undisclosed injury or simply caught in a rut.
Maybe competing with Walsh every day in practice can help him find his mojo again. But it shouldn’t be much of a competition given both kicker’s resumes.
