AS the NFL pre-season comes to an end, two Irish players, Charlie Smyth and Jude McAtamney, are still to learn their fate ahead of the regular season.
Smyth made national headlines when he signed with the New Orleans Saints back in March as part of the International Player Pathway program.
Soon after, McAtamney signed for the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent after impressing in a work-out with the New Jersey-based team.
Despite both players signing deals with their respective teams, their NFL futures will hang in the balance over the next couple of days.
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- Derry’s Jude McAtamney makes debut for New York GiantsOpens in new window
- Down’s Charlie Smyth kicks game-winner and gets game ball on his debut for the New Orleans SaintsOpens in new window
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On Tuesday, August 27, by 9pm, all NFL teams must reduce their roster from 90 down to 53 players.
Smyth has been locked in a battle for the active kicker spot on the team with Blake Grupe, who has already got two years of experience over the Down and Mayobridge goalkeeper.
He made more headlines when he kicked the winning field goal against the Arizona Cardinals in the Saints’ opening pre-season game.
Smyth has not kicked a field goal in a game since and has been limited to one kick-off per game against the San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans. There has been talk that he has been limited by a groin injury.
The former Ulster U20 champion has also wowed crowds by making a field goal from 65 yards in open practice, one yard short of the in-game NFL record.
Further north in New York (but really New Jersey), Jude McAtamney will hope that his performances in pre-season were enough to earn him a roster spot on either the Giants or elsewhere.
McAtamney scored both field goals against the New York Jets as the Big Blue lost to the Jets 10-6.
The former Derry U20 player also kicked three kick-offs averaging 65 yards per kick.
He faces tough opposition from an experienced veteran and one of the best kickers in the league in the shape of Graham Gano.
However, the Swatragh man survived the first round of cuts, with the Giants releasing 10 players from their roster.
It is most likely that the Giants will keep the former underage county star as Gano’s back-up due to the kicker being 37 and recently recovered from major knee surgery.
However, if either team doesn’t opt to put either Irish player on their active roster, that is not the end of their NFL journey.
Both kickers could be released (or waived) from the squad and made available to any of the 32 NFL teams to claim within a day of being put out on the waiver wire.
The two players can be signed to practice squads on Wednesday at noon, once all the players cut by 9pm Tuesday have cleared waivers.
The two Irish players could well be signed by their respective teams to the practice squads, allowing them time to develop their skills before making the jump to the active roster spot.
They could also be traded to another team for draft picks or other players.
Another international player who is awaiting his fate is Welsh rugby player Louis Rees-Zammit, who is looking likely to miss out on the Kansas City Chiefs roster.
