Charlie Smyth Gets Another Shot as Saints Kicker Against the Browns

Charlie Smyth is back in the kicking job for the New Orleans Saints, and I’ll be watching how Kellen Moore uses him well before the final two minutes. A trusted kicker can change what a coach calls on third down, how he handles fourth down and whether a drive that stalls at the 35-yard line still ends with points. Sunday’s game against Cleveland is Smyth’s first chance this season to give Moore that kind of confidence. 

The Saints terminated Daniel Carlson’s contract Tuesday, Nov. 3, and Moore confirmed that Smyth would handle the kicking duties against the Browns. Carlson made eight of 12 field goal attempts and missed two extra points in seven games. Moore pointed to consistency when explaining the decision. 

Smyth’s path to this job is worth remembering. The former Gaelic football goalkeeper from Mayobridge, Northern Ireland, joined the Saints in 2024 through the NFL’s International Player Pathway program. He made 12 of 16 field goals for New Orleans last season. One of them was a 47-yarder with six seconds left to beat Carolina on Dec. 14. 

That Carolina kick is the one fans remember. The full stat line is what makes this second chance interesting to me. Smyth has already shown he can handle the moment when everybody in the building knows the ball is coming his way. Over the next few weeks, I want to see how often he makes the kicks a team expects to have in the bank.

Cleveland enters Week 9 allowing 21.6 points per game. New Orleans is averaging 23.1 points and has a minus-4 turnover margin. Those numbers help explain why I’ll be watching what Moore does with a drive that reaches Cleveland territory and loses momentum. 

Say it’s third-and-8 at the Cleveland 34. A quick completion that gains 5 yards could leave Moore with a reasonable fourth-down decision and a shorter field goal. A sack could bring the punt team into the conversation. Knowing how far Smyth is comfortable kicking gives Moore and quarterback Tyler Shough a better sense of how much risk that third-down play is worth.

I’d still like to see Moore keep his foot on the gas on fourth-and-1 when the game calls for it. But there’s a difference between choosing to be aggressive and feeling like you have to be because the kicking game is shaky. Smyth can give the Saints more freedom to make that choice based on the score and the clock.

Kickoff is at noon today at Caesars Superdome. If Smyth gets an early attempt, I’ll be watching where Moore sends him out from. That first decision might tell us more about the coach’s confidence than anything said during the week. 

I like that Smyth gets another shot. The most encouraging Sunday I can picture for him is a quiet one. He takes care of the extra points, makes the field goal when a drive stalls and heads back to the sideline while the conversation turns to the next possession. A 47-yard winner is a heck of a memory. A month of kicks that feel routine would mean more to this team.