The Los Angeles Rams are changing kickers, and head coach Sean McVay explained that it's all about experience..
Los Angeles released kicker Harrison Mevis and signed Blake Grupe off the New York Jets’ practice squad, according to NFL Network. Mevis missed a 50-yard field goal in the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills and had a potential game-winning 48-yarder blocked in overtime.
McVay said the Rams wanted a kicker who has already done the job in big moments. The team also decided they didn't want to open up a competition for the position like last year, and instead just wanted a clean break.
“He did a great job for Indy last year, has kicked in a lot of big-time professional settings and we felt like he was the best guy available that had real game experience," McVay said of Grupe, via TheRams.com. "And you debated going back and forth, ‘do we want to try to create a competition similar to what we did with Karty and Mevis when we first brought him in?’ And what we felt like was the best thing was really just to be able to give him an opportunity to come in here and do his thing, and hopefully build on some real cool momentum that he had established in Indy.”
Grupe entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Saints in 2023 and was released in late November last season. He caught on with the Colts and made all 11 of his field goal tries over five games, five of them from 40-plus yards, to finish the year 29-for-37.
Indianapolis cut him this summer, and the Jets claimed him off waivers before waiving him and re-signing him to their practice squad. He now lands on the Rams’ 53-man roster.
For his career, Grupe is 86-for-105 on field goals (81.9%) and 96-for-98 on extra points. He'll get his first shot to kick for the Rams in Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Sean McVay explains why Rams signed kicker Blake Grupe