Grupe faces another challenge to hold on to his kicking job
In a mere 19 days, the New Orleans Saints will kick off their regular season with an opener at home versus the Arizona Cardinals. There are several pressing questions surrounding this year’s squad, but kicker Blake Grupe doesn’t seem to be one of them. Grupe wears No. 19 for the team and is our Saints Player of the Day.
- Name (age): Blake Grupe (26)
- Hometown: Sedalia, Mo.
- Position: Placekicker
- Height, weight: 5-foot-7, 156 pounds
- College: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Relative Athletic Score: N/A
- Drafted: Undrafted in 2023 (Saints)
- NFL experience: 2 years
- 2025 salary cap hit: $1,030,834
Despite competition from rookie Charlie Smyth last season, Grupe again won the kicking job. He did miss two extra points, but was much improved with an 87.1% success rate on field goals. Included in that was a long of 57 yards and 6 for 8 on attempts from beyond 50 yards. Grupe also showed a strong leg on kickoffs, an underrated aspect of a kicker’s responsibilities.
Blake Grupe again faces a challenge from Charlie Smyth for the kicker job. Smyth has shown a tremendously strong leg, but Grupe continues to show good power of his own with still-improving accuracy. For a Saints team expected to struggle offensively early on, the team may have to depend on the range and accuracy of their kicker to put points on the board.
