Having used three Wil Lutz replacement kickers this season, the Saints might be preparing to try a fourth. Brett Maher is back on the Saints' practice squad, as of Tuesday.
While Maher has not been one of the kickers the Saints have tried this year, he was with New Orleans during the preseason. New Orleans had Maher on its roster for a week in August but moved on before the regular season began. A Maher groin injury led to his quick New Orleans departure. With yet another kicker scuffling, the Saints might be set to give Maher his first game action in nearly two years.
The Saints have tried Cody Parkey, Aldrick Rosas and Brian Johnson this season. Johnson has been New Orleans' kicker for the past four games. He is 8-for-8 on field-goal tries but has missed three extra points in eight attempts — including two misfires that made a big impact in Sunday’s loss to the Titans.
Maher, 31, has not kicked since the Cowboys cut him late in the 2019 season. He has been through numerous workouts and non-game-day stays with teams since. Between his Dallas exit and Saints signing in August, Maher was with the Jets, Washington, Texans and Cardinals. He has not been on a team this season.
Although Maher has limited experience for a 2013 UDFA, he was the first kicker in NFL history to have made three 60-plus-yard field goals. The Nebraska-Kearney alum and ex-CFL leg missed 10 field goals before the Cowboys cut him in 2019. However, despite having spent his entire career kicking from the NFL’s modern PAT distance, the veteran kicker is 68-for-69 on extra points.
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