Out of all the frustrating reasons why the New Orleans Saints were losing games last season, the special teams unit was the most aggravating one. The Saints' offense really struggled in the redzone, but the good news was that they got in field goal range pretty consistently. When that happened, kicker Blake Grupe was the opposite, very inconsistent when New Orleans relied on him. It was even worse when Tyler Shough was not the QB, clearly could lead the team to wins, and Grupe still missed the FGs, which hurt the Saints massively. A change was made (although it took way too long), and the kicking game got a bit better, but not to the point needed. 

Then, the punting was atrocious all season. The Saints kept putting opposing offenses in great scoring positions, and when the defense played very well, they couldn't stop the opponent from making FGs (which made the Saints' FG issues even worse). The Saints came into the season with a competition at punter, but clearly, it did not work. 

Adding on to those two main issues, the Saints really struggled to both defend kick/punt returns and return kicks/punts themselves. They had some bright spots, but not enough. 

Although many have called for special teams coordinator Phil Galiano to be fired, this is extremely unlikely. If a change has not been made yet, it won't be. The staff clearly believes in Galiano to turn this ship around, but how can he do that? Well, the Saints need to invest in the players. There should always be a kicker and punter competition during the offseason until those positions have long-term options solidified. This becomes even more important when the kicker and punter are also very inconsistent, which is the case for the Saints.

At kicker, there are some free agent options the Saints should look at. One name that sticks out is Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson. Last season, he was 81.5% on FGs and proved to be a clutch kicker. Whoever is brought in will be competing with Charlie Smyth, who absolutely deserves to fight for his job.

Next is punter, and for this one, there is another clear option the Saints need to look at in free agency. He was great all last season for the Houston Texans and won special teams player of the week in Week 17.

Signing special teams free agents may not get much attention, but they could lead the Saints to wins in 2026.