Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1506910
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 9, 2023 51 IRISH IN THE PROS BY TODD D. BURLAGE A wild ride," that's how former Irish turned NFL rookie placekicker Blake Grupe described beating out six-year veteran Wil Lutz (who was later traded to the Denver Broncos) for the New Or- leans Saints' opening-day starting job. "Thankful for everything that's come." When the Saints open the season Sept. 10, Grupe will become only the fourth Irish placekicker to ever land on a regular-season NFL roster. He'll join Bob Thomas, John Carney and Kyle Brindza. Grupe started his college career at Arkansas State where he became the school's all-time scoring leader before transferring to Notre Dame in 2022 for his graduate year. An undrafted free agent, the 24-year-old was brought in by the Saints to battle for the starting job and he excelled. Grupe — all 5-foot-7 and 156 pounds of him — provided one of the funnier stories during the NFL training camp season. On Aug. 13, he kicked a 31-yard, game-win- ning field goal as time expired in a 26-24 win for the Saints over the Kansas City Chiefs, then was later stopped by security after the game when he was mistaken for a fan who was trying to use the player exit. Following that game-winning kick, Grupe nailed 38- and 50-yard field goals in the Saints' third and final preseason game Aug. 27, to cement his place as the new starter there. "Obviously it's a relief," said Grupe, who made 5 of 6 field goal attempts for the Saints during the preseason, his only miss coming from 60 yards. "It's been a long camp." IRISH CUT CASUALTIES Several other former Irish players weren't as fortunate as Grupe, failing to survive the 53-man roster cuts. One of the biggest camp casualties also came from the Saints, who cut for- mer Irish All-American linebacker Jaylon Smith. By all reports, the 28-year-old performed well during camp and was ex- pected to have a place on the final roster. Smith played at Notre Dame from 2013-15 and became a star and a po- tential top-10 draft pick in 2016 until a severe knee injury suffered during the Fiesta Bowl dropped him into the sec- ond round to the Dallas Cowboys with the No. 34 overall pick. After a long recovery process, Smith became a mainstay on the Cowboys defense from 2017-20 before bouncing around and eventually landing with the New York Giants last season. Following are some other notable Fighting Irish camp casualties: wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. (Jacksonville), quarterback Ian Book (Philadelphia), wide receiver Avery Davis (Detroit), defensive lineman Khalid Kareem (In- dianapolis) and safety Brandon Joseph (Detroit). ✦ Blake Grupe Wins Placekicker Job With The Saints Grupe made 5 of 6 field goals for the Saints during the preseason to beat out six-year veteran Wil Lutz. PHOTO COURTESY NEW ORLEANS SAINTS " FIGHTING IRISH HEADLINERS Khalid Kareem (Played at Notre Dame from 2016-19), DE, Chicago Bears (NFL) Less than 24 hours after being waived by the Indianapolis Colts, the former Irish defensive lineman found a new home with the Chicago Bears. A fifth-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals, the Detroit native has been slowed by injuries. Kareem played sparingly with the Bengals for two years and the Colts for one, recording 28 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery during those three seasons. Jarrett Patterson (2018-22), C, Houston Texans, (NFL) The former Irish center survived the final NFL 53-man roster cuts Aug. 29, and officially secured his place on the Texans' active roster. Only a sixth-round draft pick and slowed by a leg injury early in training camp, Patterson was not guaranteed a roster spot. But good work during extended reps late in the preseason earned him his place on the opening-day roster. Kyren Williams (2019-21), RB, Los Angeles Rams (NFL) The St. Louis native secured a spot on the Los Angeles Rams' active roster Aug. 29, and the 2022 fifth-round draft pick is expected to have an increased role during his second season with the franchise. A broken foot in June 2022 limited Williams' work with the Rams last season, though he did appear in 10 games and recorded 35 carries for 139 yards.