LOS ANGELES -- The Rams are releasing kicker Harrison Mevis and signing Blake Grupe off the New York Jets' practice squad, head coach Sean McVay said Tuesday.
The change comes after Mevis missed a 50-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter and had a 48-yard kick blocked in overtime that would have been the winner in Monday night's 37-34 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
McVay said he appreciated Mevis' contributions, "but ultimately we need better production and that's what we're hoping to get [that] from Blake."
The move came after McVay said postgame that he would "evaluate everything" about the kicking unit.
The Rams have had three blocked field goal attempts since the start of last season, tied for the most in the NFL, according to ESPN Research. Los Angeles has had 81 missed or blocked kicks under McVay (since 2017, including playoffs), which is third most in the league.
Mevis was 5-for-9 on field goal attempts this season.
Grupe started last season with the New Orleans Saints, going 18 of 26 on field goal attempts. After he was cut during the season, he signed with the Indianapolis Colts and made all 11 of his field goal attempts.
"He did a great job for Indy last year, has kicked in a lot of big-time professional settings, and we felt like he was the best guy available that had had real game experience," McVay said.
McVay said the Rams considered creating a kicking competition, which is what they did last season when they brought Mevis in to compete with kicker Joshua Karty, but ultimately decided not to go that route.
"We felt [the] best thing was to really just be able to give him an opportunity to come in here and do his thing and hopefully build on some real cool momentum that he had established in Indy."
The loss Monday night was just one of five games that special teams have cost the Rams since the start of last season. In Week 16 of the 2025 season against the Seattle Seahawks, the Rams allowed a 58-yard punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter, sparking a 16-point comeback. The next day, the Rams fired special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn after three seasons.
The Rams hired Bubba Ventrone as special teams coordinator in January. McVay said Tuesday that he has "a lot of confidence" in Ventrone.
"There's no changes that are going to be made there," McVay said.
