Charlie Smyth stays in Saints orbit after County Down kicker added to practice squad

The New Orleans Saints are keeping Charlie Smyth in the mix. Yahoo Sports reported on Monday that Smyth is staying with the Saints practice-squad group after a kicker associated with County Down was signed to the practice squad, a move that maintains continuity for Smyth’s role while the team continues its weekly evaluation of specialists.

For a team like the Saints, the practice squad is more than a holding pen. It is the space where coaches test fit, procedure, and reliability for roles that often swing games, especially at the kicking position. Placekicking demands precision and routine under pressure, and the practice environment is where teams can measure daily execution, communication with the long snapper and holder, and performance on game-plan specific work.

Smyth’s retention suggests New Orleans valued the work he had already been doing enough to keep him around rather than cycling fully to a new option. The reported County Down signing adds another look at kicking depth, but it does not erase the practical reality that multiple specialists can be evaluated simultaneously, with one group of players covering the different phases of the job as the team prepares for preseason and the start of the regular season.

There is also a roster-management element. Practice-squad signings are typically used to address immediate needs or to cover uncertainty after training camp reps, particularly when teams want additional leg power, competition for roster spots, or coverage in case of performance dips. In that context, adding a kicker tied to County Down while keeping Smyth in place points to a continuing search for the combination that best matches the Saints’ kicking philosophy and special-teams standards.

What Smyth’s situation underscores is that the NFL’s kicking pipeline can be highly fluid. Even when a player appears to have a path, the job can tighten quickly once teams bring in additional competition or when performance data from early work shapes the next decisions. Smyth’s ability to remain on the Saints’ practice-squad track means he will likely keep getting chances to show that he can handle the team’s routines consistently.

The immediate question is how New Orleans will manage the specialist pecking order as roster decisions approach. With at least two kicking options now connected to the practice-squad picture, fans should watch for how often each player is used in practice situational work, which kickers handle which phases during special-teams drills, and whether the Saints keep cycling through more tryouts or narrow the list.