Daniel Carlson
Carlson is New Orleans' kicker for the rest of the season, and the open question is whether his accuracy bounces back from a down 2025.
Role
He is the Saints' kicker. Heavy (about 36 days before 10/20) reported he is the Week 1 starter. Charlie Smyth is on the practice squad in an International Pathway Player spot, per the same piece. Tanner Brown was the other camp competitor, and I found no current report on his status. Kickers don't have snap shares or targets. Carlson's volume depends on how often the Saints offense stalls in field-goal range. I did not find a source for his attempts per game this season, and I did not read the Saints' depth chart.
He is a two-time All-Pro (second team in 2021, first team in 2022). In 2022 he made 34 of 37 field goals, including 11 from 50 yards or longer. His career field-goal rate was 86.9% and his PAT rate 95.7% when he signed (Yahoo/SB Nation). The Saints chose his track record over younger kickers, and 2025 may have been a down year. The wire note has him 2 for 3 on field goals and 4 for 4 on PATs in the 34-27 win over the Giants.
The Raiders let him go after 2025, when he made 81.5% of his field goals, his lowest since 2019. Yahoo/SB Nation noted it was his third straight season below 87%. Sportscasting, citing Saints Wire, had him at 22 of 27 on field goals and 5 of 8 from 50 yards or longer. He also missed a PAT and a tying field goal attempt in 2025. His career field-goal rate is down from 86.9% to 86.5% (Wikipedia, through Week 5), which fits a slow decline.
Where analysts split
Broad agreement on his job security. I found no analyst split on his role, and Heavy and the other coverage treat him as the settled starter. The only open question is whether his 2025 accuracy dip was a blip or a trend. I found no current analysis arguing either side.
Research confidence: thin. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
Others at K
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