Is kicker No. 5 the charm for the New Orleans Saints?
Going into the season, the kicking game was undoubtedly a position of strength. But that changed quickly.
With an injury to Wil Lutz early in the preseason that required surgery, the role first fell to veteran Brett Maher. He kicked in the preseason opener but was waived with an injury. Next it was Aldrick Rosas, who hit his first attempt and lasted three games in that role, only to be cut after a pair of misses in a Week 3 win over the Patriots.
He was cut as the Saints signed Cody Parkey, who went on to miss two extra points in a win over the Washington Football Team, and was subsequently waived with an injury.
That saga is what made Brian Johnson's consistency on a pair of short kicks and an extra point in a Week 7 win such a breath of fresh air, especially considering the air was full of wind and rain from a "bomb cyclone" affecting Seattle.
"He did a good job, fantastic in conditions like that," head coach Sean Payton said after the game. "He was outstanding. I was really proud of him. He got a game ball. To come in like that, a tough place to kick, he was more than ready."
It was the second consecutive game one of the Saints' new specialists had received a game ball, following punter Blake Gillikin's standout performance in Week 5. On Monday evening it seemed like nothing more than a successful one-game audition for wherever Johnson would finish out the year. Lutz was designated for return from IR, meaning the team had 21 days to add him to the active roster. Johnson was the guy until that moment came, and his success was a bright spot at a position that'd seen more than its share of struggles. But a setback in recovery has Lutz done for the season, and now the question becomes: Is Johnson the guy long-term?
While there's no reason to doubt his abilities, there's still a lot left to learn about the rookie signed off the Chicago Bears practice squad. Both of his kicks came from inside the distance of an extra point. Will that confidence translate when he's forced to line up for pressure kicks from 40 yards? The Saints had great trust in Lutz from well outside of 50, does the offense operate differently with a rookie in that often pivotal role?
His college numbers show reason for pause. Johnson made all 131 of his extra points (from a shorter distance in college) and was perfect inside 30 in his college career (20-for-20), but the accuracy went down drastically from 40 yards and beyond. Johnson was 14-of-22 on kicks between 40 and 49 yards in his five seasons as Virginia Tech, though he tightened the bolts and knocked through 8-of-9 in his senior season. That wasn't the case from outside 50, connecting on just 4 of his 11 attempts in college, and just 3 of 7 in his senior season. His career long is from 55.
Related
Johnson also hit from 54 yards later in the year, the longest kick of any FBS player that week. He was ranked No. 3 out of 74 eligible kickers by one scouting outlet.
His mentality going into his first NFL game was to "not overthink." He went out and knocked the ball through the uprights as he's done hundreds of times before. It shouldn't be understated how impressive even that was, considering he was signed during a bye week and arrived at an empty Saints facility to work out. His performance was anything but a given.
"I'm just looking to take advantage of the opportunities I'm given," Johnson said.
But he'll certainly want to give more forethought to his kicks the rest of the way. An invaluable resource for Johnson will be Lutz himself, also an unknown commodity entering the league out of Georgia State in 2016, and getting his feet wet with another team (the Baltimore Ravens) before signing on with New Orleans. Johnson said his biggest question for Lutz ahead of Week 7 was how aggressive Payton was on fourth downs, but there will certainly be more insight that can be imparted while Lutz focuses on his recovery and getting healthy for the 2022 season.
"Wil's been great. Blake [Gillikin] and Zach [Wood] have been so awesome the last two weeks, just to help me get comfortable and stuff," Johnson said.
Related
Comfort is great. Pressure can break a lot of things, but it can also mold diamonds. For better or worse, it appears the Saints will find out exactly what Johnson is. The answer could come as soon as Week 8, with the pressure ramping up significantly as the 6-1 Tampa Bay Bucs visit the Caesars Superdome for a pivotal NFC South showdown.
For now, the story is an exciting one. So let's stick with the vibes after the game-winner in his first NFL start. The pressure only builds from here.
"Unbelievable feeling," he said. "Couldn't have written it up better myself."