NFL Player News

Lutz will have core muscle surgery, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Previous reports hinted at a recovery timeline of 8-12 weeks, essentially ruling Lutz out through September. He played all 16 games in each of his first five NFL seasons, and the Saints haven't been carrying another kicker at training camp. They'll likely look at a bunch of kickers in the coming days.

Lutz suffered a core muscle injury during Saturday's practice, and he now may need a surgery that would lead to an absence of eight weeks or longer, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Amie Just of The New Orleans Times-Picayune suggests the recovery timeline could be closer to 12 weeks, with Lutz needing longer than most players because he's a specialist. Lutz played every game in each of his first five NFL seasons, but with the reliable 27-year-old in danger of missing the first half of the upcoming campaign, the Saints figure to look at multiple free-agent kickers.

Patterson (undisclosed) was activated from the PUP list Thursday, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Patterson missed most of spring drills with an undisclosed condition, but he recently passed a physical. He'll battle Greg Joseph for the starting job in Minnesota.

The Saints removed Lutz (groin) fom the non-football injury list ahead of Wednesday's practice, Amie Just of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

The Saints never expected Lutz to miss much time and didn't even bother signing another kicker while he was idle. The end of the Drew Brees era comes with some uncertainty, but Lutz is still a viable option at the end of fantasy drafts, as he's an accurate kicker who plays home games in a dome for what should be a competitive team.

Haubeil was waived by the Titans on Sunday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Haubeil was expected to compete to be the Titans' starting kicker during training camp, but he'll now be let go after the team claimed Sam Ficken off waivers Sunday. The Ohio State graduate signed with Tennessee as an undreafted free agent in May after he converted on 28 of his 35 field-goal attempts in college.

Carlson (undisclosed) was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday.

It's unclear whether Carlson tested positive for the virus, but he'll be away from the team until he clears league protocols regardless. Dominik Eberle, who recently was cut by the Raiders, re-signed with the team Sunday and will handle the kicking reps for the immediate future.

The Saints placed Lutz on the non-football injury list Wednesday with a "soft-tissue" issue, Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

General manager Mickey Loomis relayed that he expects Lutz to have a "pretty quick" recovery, meaning he may not miss many practice reps at the beginning of training camp. And with more than two weeks until New Orleans' first preseason game, Lutz has a good chance to miss no exhibition action whatsoever.

Patterson (undisclosed) was placed on the PUP list Monday, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Patterson missed most of spring drills with an undisclosed condition and now will miss at least a portion of training camp. Once the rookie gets healthy, he's expected to battle Greg Joseph for starting job in Minnesota.

Zuerlein has been placed on the PUP list due to offseason back surgery, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

The 33-year-old kicker has a history of back problems, including Dec. 2017 surgery to repair a herniated disk. Even so, the Cowboys head into training camp without another kicker on the roster, giving us a strong hint that they expect Zuerlein to be ready for Week 1. For now, backup punter Hunter Niswander can work with the FG and kickoff units in practice while Zuerlein finishes up his rehab process.

The Cowboys are putting Zuerlein (back) on the PUP list to start training camp, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

While there hasn't been any report of offseason surgery, Zuerlein does have a history of back injuries, including some appearances on the Cowboys' practice reports in the second half of last season. However, the 33-year-old has played 16 games in back-to-back seasons, and he could reclaim his past status as a top-five fantasy kicker if the Cowboys offense picks up where it left off before Dak Prescott (leg) suffered a season-ending injury last year. Zuerlein is the only kicker on the Cowboys' roster, so they'll need to sign someone else for training camp -- or use backup punter Hunter Niswander as a temporary kicker -- if Greg the Leg isn't ready to practice within the next few days.