Saints avoid self-inflicted wound with kicking competition decision

The New Orleans Saints have had their fair share of losses this season, but they narrowly avoided their biggest when naming former kicker Blake Grupe's replacement.

On Tuesday, one day after bringing in disgraced former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker for a workout alongside former Cincinnati Bengals kicker Cade York, the Saints wisely decided against a public relations catastrophe by signing York to their practice squad.

Saints make right call after controversial Justin Tucker workout

The Saints (2-9) desperately needed to make a change at kicker after Grupe missed two kicks under 50 yards in a 24-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. But they nearly picked the worst possible choice in Tucker.

What exactly would the Saints gain from signing a washed, toxic kicker? In January, he faced allegations of sexual misconduct by 16 Baltimore-area masseuses at eight spas, prompting a 10-game suspension by the NFL that Tucker declined to appeal. That should be disqualifying by itself. But for a league that is known to look the other way when convenient, Tucker's poor 2024 numbers might be the less forgivable sin. 

He made a career-low 73.3 percent of his field-goal attempts last season, a steep decline for a player who made 90.2 percent of his tries from 2012-23. It was ridiculous to even bring Tucker in for a visit, but at least New Orleans had the decency to end its pursuit there. However, the Saints don't get credit for running with a knife and not getting hurt. They should be called out for putting themselves in that position.

Tucker is best left in the past, and it shouldn't have taken an in-person workout for the Saints to make that discovery. It also raises concern about what direction New Orleans will go during the offseason. If it thinks considering a 36-year-old kicker at 2-9 is wise, what kind of players will general manager Mickey Loomis pursue in March? The Saints may have eventually made the right call on Tucker, but their initial interest is concerning enough.