Can Greg Zuerlein handle LA Rams kicking duties?

Will the LA Rams pursue another kicker or will Greg Zuerlein be back for the 2020 season

The LA Rams drafted Greg Zuerlein as the 171st player selected in the 2012 NFL Draft. Drafting a kicker so high is rather unusual for any NFL team, but Zuerlein has been a reliable kicker throughout his career. Unfortunately, he will become a free agent in March.

Will the Rams look to re-sign him for another season? He turned 32 years old in December. Would LA look to find a younger leg?

In his career, Zuerlein kicks 82% of his field-goal attempts. He has a career-long of 61 yards in 2015. Last season, he connected on a 58 yarder.

Accuracy is a key attribute for kickers, especially if they want to keep their jobs. He was a perfect 42 0f 42 on extra-point attempts. It was the fourth time that he was perfect on extra points in his career.

Zuerlein struggled from 40 to 49 yards in 2019. He made just five of eleven attempts from that range. Zuerlein missed one from less than 39 yards and two from over 50 yards. Call him money in those zones.

Spotrac.com, the website for his expiring contract information, reports the following about his last deal:

"Greg Zuerlein signed a 3 year, $6,750,000 contract with the Los Angeles Rams, including a $750,000 signing bonus, $2,375,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $2,250,000."

There is a good chance that Zuerlein will want a bigger paycheck because of his reliability. Could LA decide to draft a kicker in the late rounds or bring in an undrafted rookie? Kickers are a dime a dozen, right?  Ironically, the LA Rams may not wish to renew his contract because his accuracy is in decline.

The Rams are on the cusp of making another Super Bowl appearance. The last thing they need is, to have an iffy placekicker. Can Zuerlein handle the pressure kicks better than a rookie? With new special teams coordinator, John Bonamego, will the Rams try to “fix” Zuerlein, or draft a new kicker of his own?

A quick look at prospects shows that most of the kickers do not have the same range as Zuerlein. In a perfect season, LA would not need a field goal kicker due to a potent offensive scoring machine. Keep an eye on developments in the kicker position.