LA Rams meet with 17th prospect ST standout Eli Stove

Making special teams special once more

We know that the LA Rams are in need of a special teams’ unit rebound this year. In 2020, the below-average play of coverage units actually declined last year. In fact, each aspect of the special-team-play was suspect. It was not until the Rams found placekicker Matt Gay with their third attempt that seemed to turn the corner.

But turning the corner after a full season is a far cry from jumping right out of the blocks to better performance. One of the strategies that seemed doomed to fail was the plan to include so many undrafted free agents into the special team roster mix in a year when almost no players had a snowball’s chance in hell of making the team’s 53-man roster.

Sure, some made it to the team’s 16 man practice squad. But with so many risks of injury and a positive COVID-19 test to a key contributor, there was no chance that the Rams would vacate a valued roster spot to make room for an unfamiliar player who may or may not deliver a boost to the special teams’ play on any NFL Sunday.

So the team circled the wagons, made do with who was on the roster (for better or worse), and simply aimed to get through the 2020 season somewhat intact. In some ways, that conservative proved to be a bit effective. It took three tries, but the Rams eventually found the trustworthy range and accuracy they were looking for when placekicker Matt Gay started booting for the Rams. Now it’s up to the new ST coordinator Joe DeCamillis, their third ST coordinator in three years, to build upon those pieces.