- Oct 16, 2026
- 0
- 0
SportsMafia Wire graphic. Team logos and player headshots via ESPN.
The Los Angeles Rams released kicker Harrison Mevis on Tuesday and signed Blake Grupe off the New York Jets practice squad, the latest attempt to fix a special teams unit that ranks among the worst ever measured.
Mevis converted just 56% of his field goal tries (5-of-9), the lowest figure in the NFL. He failed on a 50-yard attempt versus Buffalo and saw a possible decisive kick blocked in overtime. The Rams' special teams DVOA stood at minus-15.3% heading into Week 6, a pace that would set a record low across an entire campaign.
Grupe connected on 18-of-26 field goals with New Orleans before his release, then went 11-of-11 on field goals and 10-of-10 on extra points over his last five contests with Indianapolis. Los Angeles has converted 77.2% of field goals across the previous four seasons, second worst in the NFL per ESPN Research.
The kicking game and return units factored heavily into five defeats for the Rams across nine losses since last season began, postseason included. Coordinator Chase Blackburn lost his position following a Week 16 collapse against Seattle, where a 58-yard punt return score fueled a 16-point rally. Los Angeles sits at 2-3, with all three setbacks against 2025 postseason qualifiers.
Head coach Sean McVay said, "We'll lean in. We'll go back to work." The Rams now enter what ESPN Analytics rates as the easiest five-game stretch of any club this year, facing Arizona twice plus matchups with Las Vegas, the Chargers, and Washington.
Source: ESPN - Sat Oct 17, 6:00 AM ET
Written by the SportsMafia Wire desk in our own words from the original reporting (AI-assisted, checked against the source).