LA Rams love kicker competitions, add K Matt Gay from Colts PS

After LA Rams lose K Forbath, they sign K Matt Gay from Colts PS to compete with MacGinnis

The LA Rams love kicker competitions. Or, at least it seems that way, doesn’t it? It made sense when the LA Rams drafted K Sam Sloman, and signed XFL K Austin MacGinnis and CFL K Liram Hajrullahu to compete for the Rams starting kicker job. By all accounts, Sloman was running a distant third in the scrimmage competitions but somehow managed to win the starting job.

Still, Sloman kicked line drives that NFL teams were able to block consistently.  In seven games, Sloman was good in 18 of 21 extra points, and eight of eleven at field goals. So, the Rams signed veteran kicker Kai Forbath to compete with Sloman for the starting job. When Sloman missed a field goal against the Chicago Bears, the competition was over.  Forbath became the Rams kicker.

More kicker developments

But as the Rams released Sloman, they re-signed MacGinnis, this time to the practice squad. At the time, it seemed an unusual signing, but practice squads have 16 roster spots, and the Rams had a number of player moves to make to restore injured players to the active roster. So MacGinnis joined the Rams practice squad, which proved to be a wise insurance policy.

In just two weeks’ time, the Rams kicker, Kai Forbath, suffered an ankle injury and will be on injured reserve for an unknown period of time. Suddenly, signing MacGinnis seemed to be a very wise move indeed. Well, until the Rams reached out to sign kicker Matt Gay from the Indianapolis Colts practice squad.

More kicker competition

While the Rams can seamlessly use K Austin MacGinnis for two weeks, the injury to Forbath may extend for a month or more.

If he sounds familiar, he should be. He was the kicker who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019 and kicked a perfect game against the Rams in the 55-40 win. In that game, Gay kicked two of two field goals and seven of seven extra points. In his one and only NFL season, Gay was nearly 90 percent accurate on extra points, and 77 percent accurate on field goals.  His accuracy plummeted in the season finale when he missed three field goals against the Atlanta Falcons.

Clearly, the Rams are hoping to tap that ‘revenge’ factor by bringing in the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker in time to face the Bucs. He has a strong leg, showing 73 percent accuracy in 2019 from beyond 40 yards. While the move is a mild surprise, I would not be surprised to see Gay lining up to kick for the Rams against the Bucs on Monday Night.

While MacGinnis remains on the practice squad, the Rams are adding competition to the 53-man roster.  The kicker competition is on again for the Rams. Who would have guessed that would occur for what seems to be the fourth time this season?