Change for change’s sake won’t fix Rams special teams

The Los Angeles Rams keep treating special teams like a rundown car. Swap a part. Expect it to run better. It never does.

It took years of decay for the car to arrive in its current state. There is no quick fix. Overhauling it to a vintage antique takes significant investment in terms of time and resources.

LA’s decline in special teams did not happen overnight. It took years and years of neglect by Sean McVay and the Rams front office.

Swapping out minor parts—like special teams coordinators, returners, kickers, long snappers, and others—won’t fix a systemic problem within the organization. The Rams used to prioritize special teams. They utilized late-round draft picks and undrafted free agency with contributions in the third phase in mind. Players like Daren Bates, Nick Scott, and Cory Littleton all were onboarded with little regard for offensive or defensive roles.

But, of course, that was mostly when John Fassel was calling the shots. Special teams were a value add back then. Johnny Hekker, Greg Zuerlein, Jake McQuaide, Littleton, Scott, Bates, Pharoh Cooper, Bates, and JoJo Natson all played major roles in LA’s heyday.

Fassel left the Rams after the 2019 season. Special teams performance has been on a steady decline since.

It doesn’t matter how many times you make superficial changes. You can cut Xavier Smith and trot out a new punt returner. Firing Chase Blackburn midseason 2025 made fans feel better until they learned his full-time replacement Bubba Ventrone isn’t any better. Now, the team is moving on from kicker Harrison Mevis and expecting better results from a player who already failed elsewhere in Blake Grupe.

Vintage cars aren’t built in a day. Awful football units aren’t drastically improved with minor swaps, especially during the regular season when resources are scarce and available player pools are limited.

The Rams cannot truly course correct on special teams until the upcoming offseason, but even then it may take years of incremental improvements before the unit returns to the level of adding value.

The entire team must buy into the approach. Les Snead and the scouting department must acquire talent for the sole purpose of the third phase. Coaches must develop those players and find room for them on the backend of the roster. It may require keeping less depth at certain positions and moving on from situational contributors on offense or defense.

But the cost is almost certainly worth paying. Special teams is routinely costing the Rams wins, even when the other two units are performing at a high level. The third phase could single-handedly derail Super Bowl hopes for a roster built to win a championship.

Change for the sake of change is getting old. It’s a sleight of hand trick meant to distract you short term. Nothing will truly be fixed until the Rams dedicate significant resources and time to special teams.