The Los Angeles Rams are at it again, making another move that makes you just shake your head. They’re ditching kicker Harrison Mevis and bringing in Blake Grupe, a guy who already fizzled out somewhere else, expecting different results. It’s like they’re treating their special teams like a rundown car, swapping out a minor part, and then being shocked when the whole thing still won’t run.
This Isn’t a Quick Fix, It’s Years of Neglect
Let’s be real, this special teams mess isn’t some overnight problem. It’s been years and years of neglect from Sean McVay and the Rams front office, letting things just decay. They used to get it, you know? Prioritizing the third phase, using late-round picks and undrafted free agents to make contributions there. Guys like Daren Bates, Nick Scott, and Cory Littleton were onboarded specifically for those roles, not just as backup offense or defense guys. Back when John Fassel was calling the shots, special teams was a serious value add. Remember Johnny Hekker, Greg Zuerlein, Jake McQuaide, and those other names like Pharoh Cooper and JoJo Natson playing major roles in their heyday? That was a lifetime ago. Fassel bounced after the 2019 season, and it’s been a steady slide ever since.
The Endless Cycle of Superficial Swaps
You can swap out minor parts all day long, but it won’t fix a systemic problem. They’ve tried it all: different special teams coordinators, new returners, kickers, long snappers. They cut Xavier Smith and trot out a new punt returner, thinking that’s the answer. Firing Chase Blackburn midseason 2025 probably made fans feel better for a minute, until his full-time replacement, Bubba Ventrone, turned out to be no better. And now, this Mevis-Grupe kicker carousel? Come on, man. Vintage cars aren’t built in a day, and awful football units don’t magically get better with these little swaps, especially when you’re in the middle of the regular season, resources are scarce, and the player pool is super limited.
What It Actually Takes To Turn This Thing Around
Honestly, the Rams can’t even start to truly fix this special teams mess until the upcoming offseason. Even then, we’re talking years of incremental improvements before this unit even gets back to adding value. It’s gotta be a whole team buy-in. Les Snead and the scouting department need to start acquiring talent *solely* for the third phase. Coaches need to develop those players and actually find room for them on the back end of the roster. That might mean keeping less depth at certain positions, or moving on from guys who are just situational contributors on offense or defense. But the cost is absolutely worth paying.
This special teams unit is routinely costing the Rams wins, even when the other two units are playing at a high level. That’s a huge problem. Until the offseason hits and they commit to that long-term overhaul, bringing in talent specifically for the third phase and developing those guys, don’t expect anything to truly change. This is a multi-year project, not a single roster move.
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.
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