Saints Weapon Landed On 'Luxury Players' List

The New Orleans Saints have some weapons at their disposal, although some may surprise.

Much has been said about guys like Alvin Kamara or Chris Olave, but flashy plays and big touchdowns aren’t the only definition of a weapon. Another guy who is a weapon in his own right is kicker Blake Grupe.

Last year he went 27-of-31 on field goals and 31-of-33 on extra points. One stat that is pretty shocking is that on kick offs, only 26.9 percent of them were touchbacks. That means there was a typically a return when Grupe kicked off, which at least gave New Orleans' special teams a chance to get the returner down.

Grupe is going to play a big role for the Saints once again in 2025. He’s getting some love ahead of the campaign and ESPN’s Bill Barnwell even listed him on his list of “luxury” players at various positions for the 2025 season.

"The various changes to the league's kickoff rules over the past few years have changed the way kickers approach their jobs," Barnwell said. "With touchbacks on kickoffs pushing the ball to the 30-yard line last season, there was added value in both kickoff distance and placement. With the new dynamic kickoff preventing teams from covering kickoffs until the ball is caught, the goal for kickers is to produce a kick that is deep enough to force a meaningful return without pushing the ball into the end zone for a touchback.

"Nobody did a better job of that last year than Grupe, who produced touchbacks on a league-low 26.9 percent of his kicks. He ranked 31st among all kickers in yards per kickoff, but a lack of touchbacks, good placement and reliable coverage by the Saints meant that his average kickoff produced a drive that started 71.9 yards from the end zone.

"That was the league's best rate among kickers with at least 40 kickoffs. New Orleans ranked second in EPA per kickoff, trailing only the Jets, who got a great half-season from Anders Carlson. In 2025, the league is further incentivizing kickoff returns and discouraging touchbacks by pushing the ball 5 yards forward, giving offenses the ability to start on the 35-yard line if the opposing team kicks the ball into or through the end zone."

The Saints have weapons all over the place.