The Los Angeles Rams released kicker Harrison Mevis on Tuesday and signed Blake Grupe off the New York Jets’ practice squad, according to Bleacher Report and Sporting News. The move comes a day after Mevis missed two field goals in a 37-34 overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills, including a blocked attempt in overtime that would have won the game.
The transaction is a roster move, not simply the internal review the team previously described. The Rams had said after the loss that they would evaluate their kicking unit, a step short of a confirmed change. Tuesday’s release and signing make that evaluation official.
The Terms
Mevis is off the roster entirely, cut rather than placed on any reserve designation, per the reporting. Grupe arrives from the Jets’ practice squad, meaning the Rams will need to formally add him to the active roster before he can play. No contract length or financial terms were reported for Grupe’s deal with Los Angeles.
What It Means For The Rams
Mevis struggled badly in Monday night’s loss to the Bills. He pulled a 50-yard attempt wide left in the first quarter, then watched Bills linebacker Gregory Rousseau block his 48-yard overtime try that would have sent Los Angeles home with a win. For the season, Mevis made just 5 of 9 field goals, including 3 of 6 from 40-49 yards, though he connected on all 14 of his extra-point attempts.
Those numbers left the Rams at 5-for-9 on field goals this year, the worst rate in the NFL, and dead last in the league in special teams expected points added, according to CBS Sports. The kicking miss also fit a pattern for a franchise that lost to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17 last season on another missed Mevis field goal, and dropped the NFC Championship game to Seattle when Xavier Smith muffed a punt that turned into a touchdown.
CBS Sports summed up the stakes bluntly: “Special teams can and will cost them their Super Bowl dreams … again.”
Grupe gives the Rams a kicker with a stronger recent track record. He carries an 81.9% field goal percentage for his career and made all 11 of his field goal attempts with the Indianapolis Colts last season across five games. He also ranks as the active NFL leader in extra-point percentage at 98%, a number the Rams badly need given how often their offense has put Matthew Stafford in position to finish drives.
That offensive production was on display in overtime against Buffalo, when Stafford went 24-for-31 for 284 yards and two touchdowns across the second half and overtime. Despite that stretch, Rams coach Sean McVay opted to run the ball on third-and-5 from the Bills’ 30-yard line in overtime rather than let Stafford throw, settling for the 47-yard attempt that Rousseau blocked.
Player Background
Mevis, known by the nickname “Thiccer Kicker,” had been the Rams’ primary kicker before Tuesday’s release but could not shake inconsistency from distance, going 3-for-6 from 40-49 yards this season. Grupe spent last season with the Colts, where his perfect mark on 11 field goal tries helped build the career accuracy rate the Rams are now banking on.
What’s Next
The Rams will need to officially elevate Grupe from the practice squad to their active roster before he can handle kicking duties in a game. The timing of that move, along with his NFL debut with Los Angeles, had not been reported as of Tuesday afternoon. For more on the loss that triggered the shakeup, see the Rams’ earlier statement on evaluating the kicking unit.
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