The New Orleans Saints will have a new kicker in Week 13, the only question left is who.
The Saints have opted to sign former LSU standout Cade York to the practice squad after a strong workout Tuesday, according to a report from NFL Network, and will release Blake Grupe amid continued struggles.
Grupe missed kicks from 38 and 47 yards in the first half of the loss to Falcons, bringing his miss total to eight on the season and emphasizing the need for a change.
Moore hadn't committed to a change when he spoke to the media on Monday.
"It's been unfortunate. We've obviously missed some kicks in this journey here," Moore told WWL Radio. "Blake's a really good kicker. He's done a lot of good in this league and so it's frustrating because obviously games like these, they come down to really tight margins, really tight situations and we're not able to come up with it, obviously it's something we've got to evaluate and continue to get better."
The Saints did have a roster spot open, so the decision to sign York to the practice squad indicates that the job isn't necessarily his. The team could still opt to turn to second-year pro Charlie Smyth, an international player who has been with the team since the start of the 2024 season. Smyth has a strong leg, routinely booting in kicks from 60-plus in practice settings, but he is still yet to make a kick in a regular season game. He's gone 100% in preseason opportunities over the past two seasons.
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The Saints had York in for a tryout alongside veteran Justin Tucker, who was recently reinstated after a 10-game suspension due to allegations of sexual misconduct from multiple massage therapists.
York was a star kicker for LSU and helped the team win a national championship in the Caesars Superdome in the 2019 season before being selected in the 4th round by the Browns in the 2022 draft. York, a native of Prosper, Texas, struggled with eight field goal misses and a pair of missed extra points in his lone season with Cleveland. He returned to the NFL with the Commanders in 2024 but missed both of his field goal attempts. He had more success later in the season with five games for the Bengals, connection on 9 of 11 kicks with his longest from 59 yards.
The Saints (2-9) hit the road this week for a matchup against the Dolphins (4-7) at Hard Rock Stadium. Catch all the action on WWL and Audacy.