One of the focal points for the Los Angeles Rams this offseason will need to be special teams. This isn’t a unit that can simply be ignored any longer. After ranking 26th in special teams DVOA and losing multiple games due to special teams errors, this isn’t something that can continue to be put on the back burner. The Seattle Seahawks had the second-ranked special teams unit in the NFL. In college football, National Champion Indiana ranked fourth. While coaching certainly matters, the Rams can’t simply make a coordinator change and expect that to fix everything. They can’t trot out the same group next year and expect different results. Changes are needed.
The Rams have already made a coaching change by hiring Bubba Ventrone and bringing in Kyle Hoke as his assistant. Still, the changes can’t stop there. The Rams will have decisions to make when it comes to Harrison Mevis, Jake McQuaide, and others heading into 2026. Did the band-aids become permanent solutions or were they just band-aids?
Kicker
Heading into the offseason, Harrison Mevis will be an exclusive rights free agent, meaning that he can be brought back for the league minimum. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Rams do just that. Mevis added stability to the kicking operation as he went 12-for-13 in the regular season and 6-for-6 in the playoffs, including the game-winner against the Chicago Bears.
Still, it’s fair to add context to that success. Mevis was only asked to make four field goals outside of 45 yards. On those kicks, he was 3-for-4 with a miss against the Seahawks in Week 16. He ended up making one from 50 yards in the NFC Championship game, but for the most part, it was clear that the Rams didn’t trust him from beyond 45 yards. There were multiple times after Week 10 that the Rams opted to punt instead of kicking a long field goal.
- Week 10 – Punted from SF 41 yard line, opting against 58 yard field goal
- Week 12 – Failed 4th-and-4 from TB 40 yard line, opting against a 57 yard field goal
- Week 16 – Failed 4th-and-1 from SEA 39, opting against 56 yard field goal
- Week 17 – Punted from ATL 41 yard line, opting against 58 yard field goal
This isn’t a criticism of McVay for the times that he decided to go for it on fourth down. If there was a benefit to the lack of confidence in the kicking game, it is that McVay got more aggressive. At the same time, it shows the lack of confidence in the kicker’s ability to make kicks from long range. During the same time span, opposing kickers made three kicks from 55+ yards against the Rams.
From 45 yards and in, Mevis was very good. It’s a small sample, but he was 3-for-4 from 45 yards or more with two makes from 50+. His lone miss came from 48 yards against the Seahawks in Week 16. In today’s NFL, kickers are making field goals from 55 yards out with ease. While the Rams can trust Mevis from within 45 yards, that’s also not a way to operate long-term.
The question becomes whether or not Mevis was a band-aid or if he’s the solution. The Rams may also be forced into a corner where Mevis has to be the solution. There are seven unrestricted free agent kickers:
- Daniel Carlson (LVR) – Made 81.5% of his field goals.
- Nick Folk (NYJ) – Made 96.6% of his field goals. 41 years old.
- Joey Slye (TEN) – Made 80% of his field goals.
- Matt Prater (BUF) – Made 90% of his field goals. 41 years old.
- Zane Gonzalez (ATL) – Made 86.4% of his field goals.
- Riley Patterson (MIA) – Made 93.1% of his field goals.
- Eddie Pineiro (SF) – Made 96.6% of his field goals.
Kickers such as Patterson and Pineiro will likely get re-signed by their teams. At 41 years old, Folk and Prater will be emergency options for teams. That leaves Daniel Carlson and Zane Gonzalez. Dominic Zvada from Michigan is seen as the best kicker in the draft with Trey Smack, Will Ferrin, Drew Stevens, and Kansei Matsuzawa behind him.
Smack from Florida had the second-most makes from 50 or more yards last season in college football with five. He was five-for-6 from long range, but made just 81.8 percent of his kicks. Zvada was much lower at 68.2 percent. Matsuzawa made 96.2 percent of his field goals and was one-for-one from 50+. Stevens and Ferrin both kicked under 80 percent as well. It is worth noting that Matsuzawa was PFF’s second-highest graded kicker last season and was 37-for-37 on extra points.
At the very least, one of those kickers should be brought in as an undrafted free agent to compete with Mevis. That’s not to say that Mevis still shouldn’t be the favorite as he was solid after Week 10 last year. He showed the ability to kick in big moments, making the game-winning kick against the Chicago Bears in the playoffs. However, competition is needed.
Punter
It’s hard to say whether or not Ethan Evans should be on the hot seat. However, with a new special teams coordinator, nothing should be off the table. Evans has improved since his rookie season, but there are still too many ups and downs with him. He’s an average punter. Among 31 punters with 35 or more punts, Evans ranked 23rd in yards per attempt, 28th in net yards, 22nd in punts downed inside the 20, and 11th in return percentage. His average hang time of 4.42 seconds ranked 12th.
Evans had the punt that saved the Rams against the Seahawks in Week 11. However, he also had a punt returned for a touchdown in Week 16 and had a punt blocked in the divisional round against the Carolina Panthers. Those aren’t necessarily all on him, but Rashid Shaheed’s touchdown was a punt right down the middle of the field. On the next punt, Evans’ ball netted only 32 yards to set the Seahawks up at midfield.
Much like Mevis, this isn’t to say that the Rams need to replace Evans. However, his last two seasons have been inconsistent. Even in 2024, Evans had the fourth least yards per attempt and was tied for 16th in net yards. Evans has had good moments, but he’s had plenty of bad ones as well. For as often as he had a good punt, there was a shank or bad punt to follow. Evans will be on the final year of his rookie deal in 2026. The Rams will likely keep Evans, but competition wouldn’t hurt.
Returner
Xavier Smith is an exclusive rights free agent which likely means that he’ll at least be brought back for training camp to compete. If the Rams sign his ERFA tender, they can bring Smith back for the league minimum. It’s hard to move on from Smith after one bad game in which he muffed two punts. However, Pharoh Cooper was cut for less at the end of 2017 after making a Pro Bowl. Following the muffed punt, Smith was pulled for Kyren Williams. It’s fair to wonder if we are telling a different story had the Rams kept Britain Covey in training camp over Smith.
While Smith had the fifth-most fair catches, he hasn’t necessarily been a threat in the return game. Again, this is another spot where the Rams at least have to add some competition. Could the Rams add Kaden Wetjen from Iowa in the draft? Wetjen had three punt return touchdowns at Iowa in 2025 and led the nation in punt return yards. KC Concepcion is another wide receiver with return experience as is Kevin Coleman Jr. from Mizzou.
On the kickoff unit, Jordan Whittington has been fine, but his longest return was just 38 yards. It’s also time for the Rams to replace Ronnie Rivers. There simply isn’t a player here that teams are afraid of with the ball in their hands. As teams give up more returns with the new kickoff rules, having a threat on the kickoff unit is important. Just this past season, almost 75 percent of kickoffs were returned which doubled from 2023 and 2024.
The Rams don’t necessarily need to replace Smith and Whittington, but there needs to be some competition at these spots. Changes at least need to be explored.
Long Snapper
Along with making a change at kicker last season, the Rams swapped out their long snapper as well. Alex Ward was replaced with former Rams long snapper Jake McQuaide. However, McQuaide was more of a band-aid rather than a solution. McQuaide is 38 years old and the Rams were his sixth team since 2023. It’s possible that the Rams could bring McQuaide back, but at this point he would make more sense as a special teams assistant on the coaching staff than a player. This is a spot where the Rams will need to scout the undrafted free agents and bring in competition. They could also look at free agency for an experienced option.
Special Teams as a Unit
An underrated aspect of special teams is the players being asked to play on the coverage and return units. Due to the lack of depth on the roster, the Rams had to draft in the later rounds with a focus on offense and defense. There was a real chance that the players drafted on Day 3 would need to play. Rarely was a player drafted for their special teams prowess. Ben Skowronek was a special teams player at Notre Dame and the same can be said about Nick Scott. However, there have been fewer of those players in recent years.
While D’Angelo Ponds is a smaller cornerback, he has returned two blocked punts for touchdowns and would bring some return ability. Throughout his career at Duke, edge rusher Wesley Williams blocked five kicks. The Rams need to find players that have excelled on special teams and make that the focus on Day 3 when they will have seven selections.
The Rams have career special teams players such as Troy Reeder and Ronnie Rivers set to hit free agency. Needing a change on the special teams unit, it may be best to replace them with a new group of players in the draft.
