Rams Special Teams Struggles Reveal a Flaw in Roster Construction

Through the first five weeks of the season, special teams has been a hot topic for the Los Angeles Rams. It’s the one thing they can’t escape and it came under the microscope again on Monday night as the Rams lost to the Buffalo Bills in overtime because of a blocked field goal. 

During the McVay era, the Rams have struggled to find consistency on special teams. Only twice have they ranked inside of the top 10 in special teams DVOA. That happened in McVay’s first season in 2017 and during the team’s Super Bowl season in 2021. Outside of those two years, the Rams have ranked in the bottom half of the league and five times they’ve ranked inside the bottom 10. The Rams are well on their way to another bottom 10 special teams performance this season. 

Earlier this summer, Rams head coach Sean McVay told The Athletic’s Mike Sando, “It needs to be more important to me,” when talking about special teams. “Special teams wasn’t as important to me as offense and defense,” McVay said, “But now, I think it is more important because there are more action plays.”

Rams Special Teams Struggles Started Before John Fassel Left

Many look at the demise of the Rams’ special teams unit and point to letting John Fassel go following the 2019 season. That’s not to say that McVay made the correct decision in letting go of Fassel, but there also may be some revisionist history.The downfall was already happening. 

While the Rams ranked second in special teams DVOA in 2017, that dropped to 17th in 2018. By the end of the 2019 season, the Rams ranked 23rd in special teams DVOA. It’s easy to point to Fassel being let go, but this is an issue that runs far deeper. 

Some will point to a lack of commitment, but when the Rams ranked 30th in special teams DVOA in 2020, they ranked fifth in special teams commitment according to The Athletic’s research. Between 2020 and 2022, the Rams ranked inside of the top five in special teams commitment. In two of those three years, they still ranked in the bottom 10 in the NFL. It wasn't until 2023 that the Rams started to lag behind in that department.

The Hidden Cost of the Rams' Roster-Building Approach

In a sense, the “F Them Picks” roster-building approach is partially to blame. When everything came crumbling down in 2022, the Rams were forced to draft players who could step into starting roles immediately. It was an impressive turnaround, but the depth on special teams took a hit. 

In 2021, Terrell Burgess ranked second on the roster in special teams snaps. He was drafted in the third round. During the 2023 draft, the Rams selected starting players in Byron Young and Kobie Turner. Young had 20 special teams snaps as a rookie and Turner had 84. 

Instead of being able to focus on roster depth, the Rams had to prioritize high-floor, low-ceiling players who could step into starting roles right away. Yes, the Rams had 24 draft picks in 2023 and 2024. However, all five of their Day 2 picks were either starters or key depth pieces. 

It goes beyond investing in a kicker or punter. The Rams have actually done that. During the McVay era, the Rams have drafted two kickers and a punter. The core special teams players, however, have been lacking. None of the players listed above played a key role on special teams.  

That left undrafted free agents such as Jake Hummell and Christian Rozemboom as the team’s core special teams players. This season, four of the Rams’ top-10 players in special teams snaps were undrafted free agents. Four others were taken on Day 3 of the draft. Those may be players expected to step into special teams roles, but it’s also unrealistic for those players to make up the vast majority of that unit without some repercussions.

Comparing that to the Seattle Seahawks who have consistently had a top-10 special teams unit, only two of their top-10 players in special teams snaps are undrafted free agents. Three more are former third-round picks and two others were taken no later than the fifth round.

Athleticism Is a Missing Piece of the Rams' Special Teams Puzzle

Additionally, the Rams are fielding a group of 10 special teams players with an average Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 6.4. Players such as Jaylen McCollough and Josh Wallace have RAS scores of 2.3 and 3.8, respectively. 

Comparing that to the Seahawks, they aren’t fielding a single player under a 4.5 RAS and their group of 10 averages an RAS of 7.7. It’s certainly possible to find gems late in the draft. Good athletic testing also doesn’t always result in a good player. However, it does speak to the difference in athletic profiles between the players the Rams are fielding on special teams and those on a team like the Seahawks. 

The quality of athlete certainly plays a role. In 2022 and 2023, the Vikings ranked bottom three in special teams DVOA. In 2023, This season, through five weeks, the Vikings have the best special teams unit in the NFL after ranking ninth last year. Under Kevin O’Connell, who comes from the Kyle Shanahan and McVay coaching tree, the Vikings have figured out special teams. 

In 2023, the Vikings' top 10 players in special teams snaps averaged an RAS of 6.1. Only one player had an RAS over 8.0. That’s a drastic change over the special teams construction in 2026. This season, the Vikings don’t have a single player in their top-10 special teams snaps under a 5.0 RAS. They have five players with an RAS over 9.0 and they average an RAS of 7.9.

The Vikings still have their share of UDFA players contributing, but two of them have an RAS over 9.0. Linebacker Jake Golday has the third-most special teams snaps and has an RAS of 9.9 and was drafted in the second round. The Rams’ second-round pick was inactive last week. 

Sean McVay Must Change His Approach to Special Teams

For too long, McVay has had a set-it-and-forget-it mindset on special teams. They’ve gone through the coordinators and kickers. In 10 years, the Rams have had six different special teams coordinators. Since moving on from Matt Gay after 2022, the signing of Blake Grupe makes it six kickers in just over three seasons. 

Early in McVay’s career, he was infamous for leaving the defense to Wade Phillips. When the defense was on the field, McVay could be seen sitting on the bench with his quarterback and going over still shots from the previous drive. 

McVay has taken a larger role in the defense since then, but that hasn’t been the case on special teams. The approach has been to hire either an experienced special teams coordinator or one of the better up-and-coming candidates and let them do their thing. 

After losing Matt Gay, the Rams took the approach of signing an experienced kicker in Brett Maher only for him to be cut midseason. During the next draft, the Rams selected one of the more promising kickers in Josh Karty, who was cut during his second season. 

That hands-off approach to special teams hasn't produced a sustainable solution. It has simply created a carousel at both spots with no long-term solution. There’s no doubt that McVay holds that group to a high standard, but it’s likely been a much more hands-off approach. 

It speaks to the overall lack of commitment. The Rams signed 18 undrafted free agents this year, and not one had player was a wide receiver with return experience. Despite the red flags last season, the only changes the Rams made to special teams was hiring Bubba Ventrone and signing two core players in Joe Cardona and Grant Stuard. The Rams kept Harrison Mevis, Ethan Evants, and Xavier Smith who all played roles in some of last year's inconsistency. No competition was brought in, and two of those three players have been cut to start the year.

Special Teams Remains Sean McVay's Biggest Blind Spot

Special teams is the one thing that McVay has consistently gotten wrong. Of the five offensive coordinators McVay has hired, four have become head coaches, and Nate Scheelhaase appears to be on his way. 

On the defensive side of the ball, McVay’s last two defensive coordinators were hired as head coaches, and Chris Shula is also likely on his way. Wade Phillips is the only one of McVay's defensive coordinators who hasn't gone on to become a head coach. 

“Wade Phillips used to have a saying that I thought was great, ‘If it's important enough to you, you'll get it done,’” said McVay on Tuesday. “Let's provide some tangible solutions and let's ultimately be able to bring it to life for the players. I always want our guys to know that we're in it with them.”

For all of McVay's success and his ability to adapt offensively, special teams remains the one area where he has failed to find a sustainable solution. The Vikings have shown that a turnaround is possible. However, it's not as simple as finding a better kicker or hiring another special teams coordinator. The Rams need to put the same level of thought and investment into the players making up their special teams unit as they do when constructing the offense and defense. 

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