Man, the Los Angeles Rams’ special teams unit is an absolute disaster right now, and it’s only Week 5. We’re talking disarray, folks, and honestly, it feels like this has been a year-to-year conversation since Sean McVay parted ways with John Fassell back in 2019. Fans have been vocal since early spring about the current regime, and for good reason: there’s a solution just languishing on the practice squad in Brennan Presley.
Rams Special Teams Are Seriously Underwater
Let’s just look at the numbers, because they don’t lie. The Rams coverage units are straight up struggling. They’re ranked 30th in punt return average allowed, giving up 14.4 yards per return, which is just brutal. Kickoff coverage isn’t much better, sitting at 22nd in the league, allowing 27.0 yards. But here’s the kicker: their own return units aren’t doing squat either. They’re 18th for punts, averaging a measly 9.0 yards, and dead last at 31st in kickoffs, with just 21.9 yards per return. The team has tried to fix the leaky coverage with outside players, but it really doesn’t look like they’ve put the same effort into shoring up the return game. What gives?
Brennan Presley: Oklahoma State Legend Just Waiting for the Call
So, who can actually fix this mess? Brennan Presley, that’s who. This dude is on the Rams’ practice squad, and he’s got a long history of both punt and kickoff returns. Presley is an Oklahoma State legend, seriously. He left Stillwater as their all time receptions leader and was at or near the top of their all-time receiving, all-purpose, and return lists. We’re talking 315 receptions for 3,315 yards and 23 touchdowns, plus 30 rushes for 160 yards. On returns, he chipped in 1,427 kickoff return yards and 240 punt return yards, averaging over 1000 all-purpose yards per season. The Rams signed him in 2025 out of the undrafted ranks, and honestly, it’s wild he hasn’t gotten a shot in a regular season game yet.
The Jitterbug Style This Team Needs
Presley is 24 years old, and yeah, he’s diminutive in stature at 5’ 8” and 175 lbs. But don’t let that fool you. At the Big 12 Pro Day, he posted some seriously strong athletic testing numbers. We’re talking very good long speed with a 4.46 forty, plus burst, balance, flexibility, change of direction (a crazy 6.71 shuttle), and short-area agility (4.07 3cone). This man can move. His ability to run with the ball is absolutely elite, a true jitterbug style with slippery-fast change of direction. He makes his cuts at speed, and if you give him even a sliver of space, he seems to always beat the first tackler. He played running back in high school, and he runs with a willing physicality for a small player. While he might not be a “can’t miss” returner, he definitely brings the right skillset and background, and he looked solid in preseason work. Plus, his ball-in-hand ability means he can do double duty as a receiver.
The Rams’ special teams units are a problem, a huge problem. With Brennan Presley’s proven explosiveness and skillset just sitting there on the practice squad, it’s time for the team to make a move. Bring him up, give him a shot, and let’s see some life injected into those return units.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Turf Show Times.
Leave a Reply