Saints Trying Out Kickers Nick Novak & Caleb Sturgis

Update:

ESPN’s Mike Triplett confirms that the Saints are bringing in former Chargers K Nick Novak for a tryout and adds that former Dolphins K Caleb Sturgis will also be in attendance.

This further indicates that the Saints aren’t sold on Zach Hocker as their kicker.

Sturgis, 26, is a former fifth round pick of the Dolphins back in 2013. He spent two years in Miami before he was among their final roster cuts this past weekend, as they got down to 53 players.

In 2014, Sturgis converted 29 of 37 field goal attempts (78.4 percent) to go along with 37 touchbacks and 41 out of 41 extra point tries. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 21 kicker out of 57 qualifying players.

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Jason La Canfora reports that the Saints are hosting former Chargers K Nick Novak for a tryout on Tuesday.

Novak, 34, was a somewhat surprising cut from the Chargers this past weekend, as they trimmed their roster down to 53 players.

There aren’t a lot of quality kicker options available, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Novak secure an opportunity at some point in the near future.

Zach Hocker is currently atop the Saints’ depth chart, but that could change following tomorrow’s workout.

In 2014, Novak converted 22-of-26 field goal attempts, which includes three of four attempts from over 50 yards. He also had 10 touchbacks and didn’t miss an extra point try. It’s worth mentioning that Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 71 kicker out of 72 qualifying players.