Saints activate Northern Ireland native Charlie Smyth as their new kicker vs. Miami

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Saints have decided to let Charlie Smyth, a former Gaelic football player from Northern Ireland, take over place kicking and kickoff duties on Sunday in Miami, when he will make his NFL regular-season debut.

Smyth, who came to the Saints in 2024 as part of the NFL’s International Pathways Program, replaces Blake Grupe, who was cut on Tuesday after his two missed field goal attempts last Sunday raised his total of misses to eight.

Saints special teams coordinator Phil Galiano said Smyth's improvement in kicking an NFL ball since his arrival two offseasons ago is akin to “the difference between red and blue.”

“Never doing it in high school and never doing it in college is really a big deal,” Galiano said.

The 24-year-old Smyth kicked in the preseason in 2024 and 2025, hitting all four attempts this past summer, including two from 50-plus yards. The Saints then sent Smith to Dallas to work with a place-kicking specialist during this season. During practice, Smyth has been observed hitting field goals from 65 yards.

“We wanted to put a developmental plan together for Charlie ... because we think he is a future NFL kicker," Galiano said, noting that although he is confident in his command of special teams generally, he does not have a highly refined understanding of kicking technique.

“We didn’t want him to be here hanging out and not getting better on the practice squad,” Galiano said. "So, that was a plan that we had put together in training camp that we had lined up for the middle of the season.”

This past week, the Saints signed former LSU kicker Cade York, who has previously played in the NFL for Cincinnati, Washington and Cleveland, to their practice squad.

The team then evaluated York and Smyth throughout the week before deciding on Saturday to move Smyth to the active roster. Galiano said they compared each kicker's distance, loft, accuracy and timing from long snap to kick.

The Saints also elevated receiver Dante Pettis from the practice squad to the active roster.

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