Saints cut kicker Daniel Carlson after poor start
New Orleans released the former All-Pro after he missed four field goals and two extra points in his first seven games.
By Robert Herrera ·
The New Orleans Saints released kicker Daniel Carlson on Tuesday, ending a seven-game tenure that saw the former All-Pro struggle from the long range. Carlson missed four of his 12 field goal attempts, all from 50 yards or more, and failed on two extra-point tries.
Through the first eight weeks of the 2026 season, the Saints were tied with three other teams for the league’s worst field goal percentage. Only Harrison Mevis, the former Los Angeles Rams kicker who was cut on Oct. 13, had a lower percentage during that span.
The team signed Carlson days before the final preseason game, hoping his veteran experience would stabilize a weak spot on the roster. He came off a down year with the Las Vegas Raiders and missed at least one kick or extra point in six of his seven games with New Orleans.
Coach Kellen Moore said earlier in the week that the team would not sign another kicker to compete with Carlson. Charlie Smyth, who is currently on the practice squad, remains the primary internal option. Smyth handled place-kicking duties for the final six games of the previous season.
Smyth competed with free agent Tanner Brown during training camp but was deemed too inconsistent for the regular season. Special-teams coordinator Phil Galiano noted earlier this year that most of Smyth’s misses came from the left hash mark, suggesting the issues were technical in nature.
