New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced Tuesday that the club has signed free agent kicker Garrett Hartley and punter Glenn Pakulak after each player tried out at the team's practice facility earlier in the day.
"We conducted an audition this afternoon for punters and kickers in an effort to boast our special teams play," said Loomis. "We were impressed with both Garrett and Glenn throughout the competitive sessions and we will continue to evaluate the positions closely throughout the remainder of the season."
Hartley is a rookie kicker who signed with the Denver Broncos out of the University of Oklahoma in April. He was released by Denver prior to training camp. A two-time second-team All-Big 12 Conference selection, the 5-foot-8, 196-pound native of Southlake, Texas, played in 43 career games for the Sooners and was successful on 47 of 58 field goals and went 169-for-176 on extra points. The right-footed kicker kicked a career-long 53-yard field goal in his senior season.
Pakulak, 6-3, 220, first entered the NFL as a rookie free agent when he signed with the Seattle Seahawks in the spring of 2003 after a standout career at the University of Kentucky. The Lapeer, Mich. native has subsequently had stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans and Chicago Bears but has not played in a regular season game. He was most recently on the roster of the Raiders this preseason when he averaged 45.0 yards on 15 punts before being waived at the conclusion of their training camp. The 28-year-old left-footed punter played two seasons with the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe, being allocated by Oakland in 2006 and Tennessee in 2007.
The Saints also signed defensive back Tanard Davis to their practice squad, replacing Quincy Butler, who was signed by the Dallas Cowboys to their active roster. Davis is a 25-year-old first-year player who has spent time on the practice squads of the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers and was in training camp with the St. Louis Rams this summer. The former University of Miami defender spent a week on the active roster of the Philadelphia Eagles late in the 2007 season but was inactive in their season finale.
