Wil Lutz is now a member of the Denver Broncos, and it didn't take him long to get onto the field.
He told Denver media on Wednesday that he'd only gotten 5 hours of sleep as he made the trip out west, but he was already kicking that day in his new uniform.
“For Sean [Payton] to come over and get me like he did, it’s an honor," Lutz said. "It’s great to be appreciated. It’s great to be wanted and man, I’m just really fired up for a fresh start to be out here."
The New Orleans to Denver route for Lutz is just the latest in a series of moves out west for former Saints players. He joins a locker that includes his former coach in Payton and several other former Saints staffers. His new locker room also includes former teammates like TE Adam Trautman on the active roster and several others on the practice squad, including TE Lucas Krull, WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey, DT Jordan Jackson and RB Dwayne Washington.
Lutz was traded to Denver for a conditional 7th round pick, and it was far from the only shakeup on cutdown day. The Saints also moved on from punter Blake Gillikin in favor of the 30-year-old rookie Lou Hedley, who had been competing for the job throughout the summer. Another UDFA in Blake Grupe was the winner of the kicking competition, though Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi said it was about a lot more than just field goal %, with both players over 90% throughout camp.
"We chart every competitive kick and, and really those guys, they truly made each other better," Rizzi said. "I know Blake would be the first one to tell you that he learned a lot from Wil, and I know Wil's going to continue to have a great career."
While obviously emotional, Lutz has hit all the right notes on his way out of town, thanking New Orleans and committing to his new home. His agent, John Perla, didn't pull his punches as he slammed the decision.
“He didn’t lose his job," Perla was reported as saying. "The Saints just made a poor decision. The better player is not the one who is left on the Saints’ roster, I’ll tell you that.”
Time will tell if Perla is correct, with Grupe on track to take his first professional kick on Sept. 10 when the Saints host the Tennessee Titans. The Broncos open up in Denver against the Raiders on the same day.
