The Rams are making a change at kicker, and Sean McVay sounds convinced the new guy can steady the spot right away.
Los Angeles moved on from Harrison Mevis after Monday night’s loss to the Buffalo Bills and is handing the job to Blake Grupe ahead of Week 6. Grupe arrives with NFL experience already on his résumé, having spent parts of three seasons with the New Orleans Saints from 2023 to 2025. He also split last season between New Orleans and the Indianapolis Colts.
That background is a big part of why McVay feels good about the move.
“He has kicked, which is part of why we felt comfortable signing (him)… I do feel confident based on what I've seen, and in his experience, to put him out there and go execute at a high level for us,” the Rams head coach said, via a clip shared by the team on social media.
The switch comes after a rough stretch for Mevis, who opened the 2026 season as the clear starter but never found his footing. He missed four of his nine field goal attempts overall, and against Buffalo he had both a missed field goal and a blocked overtime try that would have won the game.
Instead, the Rams watched the Bills finish the job. Buffalo answered with a field goal of its own and escaped with a 37-34 win, dropping Los Angeles to 2-3.
Now the Rams will see if Grupe can settle things down when he makes his debut Sunday evening against the Arizona Cardinals.
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Bateman has shown enough this season to keep his name in the conversation, with one touchdown, 16 catches and 233 receiving yards in five games. For the Rams, any move of this sort would be about adding another reliable target and reshaping the passing game around the stretch run, while the possibility of a deal could leave Baltimore weighing whether it can afford to part with a receiver who still has plenty of value in the market. [Read more 🡒]