The Saints have cut 27-year-old kicker Blake Grupe after he missed two more field goals on Sunday, and they’ve signed former LSU Tiger Cade York. Grupe’s eight missed field goals this season leads the NFL. WWL radio NFL analyst Mike Detillier says the offensively-challenged Saints could no longer wait for Grupe to snap out of his slump.
“You have more misses than any other field goal kicker in the NFL. You have to move on. Points are precious for this football team. It’s not like they’re loaded offensively,” Detillier said.
York was on LSU’s 2019 national championship team, and he made 82% of field goals in three seasons at LSU. He struggled his rookie season with the Bengals in 2022, and he only appeared in six games last season. Detillier says York has not kicked in the NFL this year.
“He lives the life of a normal kicker, where you bounce around a little bit. That’s what’s happened with Cade. Really great athlete, strong-legged guy. He’s just been a bit inconsistent,” Detillier explained.
The Saints passed on signing kicker Justin Tucker, who recently completed a 10-game suspension for alleged improper behavior with massage therapists. Detillier says there’s simply too much baggage with Tucker.
“They got a lot of people that have accused him of this. It’s not a one-time event. He’s on the backside of his career. Last year was the worst year of his NFL career,” Detillier noted.
