Grading Rams Signing of Blake Grupe: Another Band-Aid on a Bigger Problem

The Los Angeles Rams signed their sixth kicker since the start of the 2023 season when they added Blake Grupe on Wednesday. There’s no doubt that a change needed to be made and the Rams needed to move on from Harrison Mevis. An argument can be made that the move should have been made weeks ago. At the same time, it’s fair to remain skeptical that Grupe is the long-term solution. 

This is the same dance that the Rams have gone through at kicker since moving on from Matt Gay. In 2023, the Rams started with Brett Maher before signing Lucas Havrisik midway through the season. By the time the playoffs rolled around, the Rams were right back where they started and had re-signed Maher. 

The next season, the Rams drafted Josh Karty. Karty made it through his rookie year, finishing the season strong. However, before the midway point last year, the Rams moved on and signed Mevis. 

As a contending team, you never want to be in a position where you’re actively looking for a kicker, especially midseason. At that point, it becomes like spinning the Wheel of Destiny. Are you going to end up with one of the good kickers or one of the bad ones? The Rams have too often ended up with one of the bad kickers, and with Grupe, they are spinning the wheel again.

The Rams have now reached a point where they are signing a kicker off the Jets’ practice squad. It’s the same Jets team that has spun the wheel itself and ended up with Jason Sanders. If the Jets had the utmost confidence in Sanders, it’s hard to think they would have had a second experienced kicker ready to go on their practice squad. 

At the end of the day, the Rams are in this position because they opted not to bring in competition for Mevis. While Mevis had added some stability to the kicking operation, he remained unproven from range. It always seemed odd that the Rams didn’t at least bring in some competition for Mevis. 

The Rams could have drafted Trey Smack in the sixth round, but instead opted to take wide receiver CJ Daniels who has yet to be active in a game. Smack is 7-for-10 on field goals but has two makes from 50-plus yards, including one from 59 yards. He was 3-for-3 on kicks of 50 or more yards in the preseason. 

Dominic Zvada has had some inconsistencies with the New York Giants, but is 11-for-14 and was an undrafted free agent. He wouldn’t have taken draft capital. The same can be said about Drew Stevens. If there was interest in Grupe, he was a free agent in March and signed for $1.4 million with the Colts. Instead, the Rams stuck with the status quo. 

This isn’t to say that Grupe won’t end up being good for the Rams. With the Colts last year, Grupe was 11-for-11 with a long of 60 yards and was 10-for-10 on extra points. The Rams had to do something, but signing Grupe doesn’t fix the Rams’ issues with the field goal unit. Yes, Mevis missed from 50 yards against the Bills. However, it was the protection that allowed Greg Rousseau to get through and block his attempt from 48 yards in overtime. 

Given the players available, Grupe may have been the best option. He hit from 60 yards last year in Seattle, which isn’t an easy environment. However, in a competition this summer, Grupe was great in practice during training camp, but struggled during games. 

Prior to joining the Colts, he had made just 69.2 percent of his field goals with the Saints, going 18-for-26 with at least one miss in six games. The Saints finally moved on after Grupe went 1-for-3 in a loss to the Falcons. 

There is hope that Grupe can give the Rams a legitimate threat from long range and add some stability to the position. He’s an experienced kicker. Still, it’s fair to be skeptical. The Rams continue to put a Band-Aid on a bullet wound as their special teams bleed out. 

Grade: D+

It’s possible that the Rams get some stability at kicker with Grupe. However, the D+ grade reflects how they’ve handled the position in general. There is some reason for optimism with Grupe, but he’s been inconsistent and streaky throughout his career. There’s a reason he was available, and he enters a kicking operation that has allowed the most blocked kicks in the NFL since 2023.

The Rams made their bed, and now they have to lie in it. This is the path that they chose by not bringing in competition or addressing the issue this summer. Hopefully, Grupe works out, but this isn’t a special teams group that has done enough to inspire confidence that he will.

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