Graham was released by the Saints on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old converted 19-of-22 field goal attempts last season, finishing as the Saints' leading scorer. Nonetheless, it looks like the franchise will go in another direction, with younger options Dustin Hopkins and Zach Hocker competing for the starting gig.

The Saints re-signed Graham to a one-year deal in February, but have since signed two more kickers, making for a crowded competition this offseason.

It didn't appear the Saints were eager to replace Graham after re-signing him this offseason when he was an unrestricted free agent, but the addition of young contenders, Dustin Hopkins and Zach Hocker, may signal otherwise. Graham has spent time with 14 NFL teams in 15 seasons but, despite a brief struggle in the middle of the year, converted 19-of-22 field goal attempts for New Orleans last season. Keep an eye on this competition, as the winner, back by a Drew Brees-led offense, will likely be worth a roster spot in most leagues.

The Saints re-signed Graham to a one-year contract, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports reports.

Graham made 19-of-22 field-goal attempts in 2014, but his limited range means the Saints will likely bring in competition. Despite his lack of leg strength, Graham could be a strong producer if he wins the job, given that he'll be tied to the New Orleans offense.

Graham made 19-of-22 field goal attempts for the Saints in 2014.

Though he was shaky in training camp and to start the year, Graham actually had a pretty good season, with his 86 percent conversion rate right in line with his career percentages. The problem, however, was the coaching staff simply didn't trust Graham's aging legs to make the longer kicks, as he only attempted on kick in excess of 50 yards all season. Graham is an unrestricted free agent, and given how close he was to losing the positional battle during training camp, it's not expected that he will return to New Orleans in 2015.

Graham made both of his field goal attempts - with a long of 34-yards - and converted on all three of his extra point kicks in Monday night's loss to the Ravens.

After a tumultuous preseason, Graham is quietly now 17-of-18 on field goals for the season. Though he's rarely been asked to kick from distance, he's proven to be a capable option for the Saints. Fantasy owners, however, may not be as enamored with his production, as he ranks just 14th in points scored among kickers. The main culprit for his mediocre output has been a Saints' offense that has been inconsistent, to say the least, and even when things are going well, rarely settles for field goals. Still, things may be looking up for Graham owners, as the Saints' remaining opponents feature some of the weaker defenses in the league, starting with a Week 13 matchup against the Steelers.

Graham was true on all three of his field goal attempts, with a long kick of 37-yards, in Sunday night's win against the Packers. He also tacked on five extra point attempts.

The Saints' offense played its most complete game of the season on Sunday, which is a good sign for Graham's owners. With five of the Saints' next eight games at home, where the team is averaging 34 points per game, Graham should continue to be a solid option in all fantasy leagues.

Graham was perfect on all three of his field goal attempts, including a long of 48-yards, in Sunday's loss to the Lions. He also converted two extra point attempts.

After missing an extra point and field goal in back-to-back weeks, Graham has nailed three field goals each of the last two games for the Saints, putting to rest any concerns regarding his job security for the time being. Still, the Saints' offense has uncharacteristically struggled this season - though it still ranks tenth in the league in points per game - but things could continue looking up for Graham's prospects, as four of the team's next five games are at home, where the Saints have historically performed better.

Graham made a 30-yard field goal and tacked on two extra points, but he also missed a 41-yard field goal in Sunday's loss to the Cowboys.

A week after missing an extra point, Graham shanked a field goal attempt early in the second quarter when the game score was only 7-0. Graham's miss certainly didn't cost the Saints on a night where the team simply got trounced, but he certainly didn't solidify his job security after a shaky outing last week as well. A changing of the guard still seems unlikely but it wouldn't be surprising to see the Saints bring in some kicking competition for Graham this week to shake things up. Stay tuned.

Graham missed one of his three extra point attempts and did not attempt a field goal in Sunday's win against the Vikings.

Graham likely has some leash after emerging victorious from a tight kicking competition this offseason, but he did himself no favors with a low kick that was blocked on an extra point attempt. More importantly, with the Saints' offense in a rut, Graham hasn't been asked to do much through the first three games, accumulating only 18 total points. Still, Drew Brees and company have accrued enough goodwill to think that better days lie ahead for the offense, as well as Graham, and a Week 4 matchup against a porous Dallas defense may be the ideal place to start.

Graham was perfect on his lone field goal attempt, a 27-yard kick, in Sunday's loss to the Browns. He also tacked on three extra points.

After a ten-point week in the season opener, Graham's duties were scaled back as the Saints offense put up a largely subpar showing in Cleveland. Returning to the Superdome for the first time in 2014, however, should once again spark the offense, as the team averaged 34 points per game last year at home.

Graham nailed his only two field goal attempts in Sunday's opener in Atlanta, successfully converting from 31 and 50 yards out. He also tacked on four extra points.

After a hectic week in which he was mysteriously cut and then subsequently re-signed, it was important for Graham to start off on the right foot, and he did just that with a perfect afternoon. With the Saints' offense looking like the juggernaut many expected entering the season, Graham should continue to be a useful fantasy option.

Head coach Sean Payton confirmed that the Saints decided to release Graham to "buy time" until they could use their short-term injured reserve designation on rookie linebacker Khairi Fortt, which wasn't allowed until Tuesday, reports ESPN.com. Graham was re-signed by New Orleans on Tuesday.

Despite the unusual decision to release both Graham and offseason his kicking competition, Derek Dimke, on Saturday before eventually re-signing Graham, Payton gave Graham a ringing endorsement on Wednesday. "We felt like he won that battle, and we felt like it was pretty clear,"said Payton of Graham. After going through so many highs and lows with kickers over the past eight years, the Saints understandably wanted a veteran kicker in their quest for the second championship in franchise history. As such, Graham should be a boon for fantasy owners, as the Saints offense is expected to be once again one of the best in the league.

Graham re-signed with the Saints on Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Last season, Graham didn't play until the Saints jettisoned Garrett Hartley doe ineffectiveness after Week 15. In four games, including two in the playoffs, he hit 6-of-8 field goals, with a long of 46, and 10 extra points.

Graham and Derek Dimke were both waived by the Saints on Saturday, the team's official site reports.

As a result, the Saints do not currently roster a kicker, though in the wake of roster cut-downs there are plenty of options for the team to consider for the assignment.

Graham did not attempt a kick in Thursday's preseason finale against Baltimore, however, his competition for the starting kicker position, Derek Dimke, handled all the kickoff duties and converted a 49- and 23-yard field goal.

The writing appears to be on the wall that it will be the unproven Dimke, not the veteran Graham, who will handle kicking duties for the Saints to start the year. Assuming Graham is cut this weekend when rosters are required to be trimmed to 53 players, he will need to catch on with another team to have any fantasy relevance.

Graham was perfect on two traditional extra points, as well a 24-yard and 39-yard field goal in Saturday's preseason game against the Colts. In Larry Holder's most-recent 53-man roster projection, however, Derek Dimke is projected to prevail in the kicking competition with Graham. Dimke successfully converted a 45-yard attempt against the Colts

Though just one man's prediction, Holder's previous projections all had Graham starting the season as the Saints' kicker, but he now anticipates Dimke handling kicking duties for the team after watching Graham miss another kick in practice while Dimke drained his attempts. Rolling with the unproven but strong-legged Dimke would be a risk for the Saints given their championship aspirations, but, according to Holder, there's a reason why Graham has kicked all over the league the past few years. If Holder's prediction is incorrect and Graham does prevail in the competition, Graham should see plenty of opportunities backed by the Saints' high-powered attack.

Graham successfully converted his lone extra point attempt from the trial, 33-yard distance and he also nailed a 34-yard field goal in Friday's preseason game against the Titans. Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune still projects Graham to prevail in the competition with Derek Dimke for the Saints' kicking duties this season.

After Graham started last week's game in St. Louis, he ceded the start to Dimke in Friday's exhibition. Graham clanged one of his longer extra point tries off the upright last week, so it was critical he was perfect on Friday. With Dimke also perfect on two extra point attempts of his own - he did not try a field goal - the competition will likely continue into next week.

With the NFL experimenting with a 33-yard extra point attempt, Graham missed the extra point attempt off the left upright after the Saints first touchdown in the team's preseason opener in St. Louis on Friday night. Graham did, however, connect on a 37-yard field goal later in the first quarter and on the longer extra point attempt in the second quarter.

Graham has made 375 out of 380 extra point attempts in his career, but this missed kick likely stung, as Graham is in competition for the Saints kicker position with Derek Dimke. Dimke successfully converted a 37-yard field goal and the longer extra point in the second half. Dimke and Graham have both had solid camps, and the preseason games could serve as a tiebreaker. Still, coach Sean Payton has suggested that Graham will be tough to beat because of his consistency and experience. Despite the miss, Graham likely remains ahead in the competition but he would be wise not to miss too many more tries in the coming exhibition games.

Though neither Graham nor Derek Dimke have missed a field goal through five practices, the Saints would prefer Graham to winning the kicking competition given Graham's edge in experience, reports the New Orleans Times-Picayune. After joining the Saints in Week 16 last year, Graham was successful on both of his regular season field goal attempts and was the hero in the team's playoff victory over the Eagles, converting on all four of his field goals, including the game-winner with three seconds left.

With the Saints on the short list of Super Bowl contenders, Graham seems like the most likely choice to winning the open competition, particularly if he can connect on field goals at a rate close to his career mark of 85.6 percent. There should also be no shortage of opportunities, either, as the Drew Brees-led offense gave Garrett Hartley and Graham a combined 32 field goal attempts and 48 PATs over 16 games.

Shayne Graham is considered the heavy favorite for the Saints placekicking job.