Charlie Smyth and Jude McAtamney’s dreams of playing in the NFL remain alive after they were retained by the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants respectively.

The pair will start the season on the NFL teams' practice squads after the initial disappointment of failing to make their respective teams’ 53-man rosters for the upcoming NFL season.

Former Down goalkeeper Smyth signed a three-year contract with the New Orleans Saints as a kicker in April as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) program, and scored a winning field goal in his first field goal attempt at any level of American football against the Arizona Cardinals in a pre-season game earlier this month. But he lost out to Blake Grupe, who played for the Saints all of last season, for the kicker spot.

McAtamney was heavily involved in the Giants’ pre-season after they also used the International Player Pathway Program to add the former Derry footballer to their practice squad.

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