Joshua Karty's return is the full-circle flourish to Rams' kicking saga

Guess who's back? After being cut midseason a year ago, kicker Joshua Karty is back with the Los Angeles Rams, officially signed to the practice squad Wednesday alongside linebacker Jon Rhattigan and long snapper Jake McQuaide. The Rams released offensive lineman Austin Blake, cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean, and linebacker Elias Neal. 

Karty is, of course, LA's fourth kicker in as many weeks. Brandon McManus, signed last week to replace the injured Blake Grupe, is still around on the 53-man roster. Apparently, however, the Rams didn't love what they saw in his debut against the Raiders, prompting them to recruit backup. 

Perhaps the most hilarious, or tragic, for the doom and gloomers out there, aspect of Karty's return is that he is in a sense replacing his own replacement, Harrison Mevis, who lasted all of 14 games after taking over last November. The Rams just can't get this right. 

Rams re-up Joshua Karty in latest go-round of kicker carousel 

Grupe, their first stab at upgrading on Mevis, was waylaid by misfortune rather than mistake. Tearing his ACL on his second Rams kickoff was not the plan. 

Mevis, on the other hand, made his own bed and lay in it. He capped a 5-for-9 start on field goals with two game-deciding misses against the Bills in Week 5, triggering his release.

The Chiefs, seeking their own reinforcement for the struggling Harrison Butker, tried out Mevis along with former Ravens kicker Justin Tucker earlier this week. They went with Tucker.

It's rather odd, though anything but imprudent, that the Rams felt uncomfortable rolling with McManus alone. He did not attempt a field goal in Week 7 but converted all five extra points. His first two kickoffs resulted in big returns, but that's as much or more so on the coverage unit than McManus' ball placement. 

Still, perhaps the Rams are looking for someone with more finesse, who will offer an alternative to kicking it out the end zone every time to set up the opponent on the 35-yard-line. Given McManus' fatally timed kicking woes for the Packers last season, keeping a relief pitcher on hand makes some sense. 

Head coach Sean McVay was noncommittal when asked whether the team would activate both McManus and Karty on gameday - i.e., one for field goals and one for kickoffs - though he did refer to the limited practicality of using two spots on kickers. The Rams also have kicker Jake Bouwmeester on the practice squad as their international player exemption. 

After a functional rookie year, Karty fell off the wagon last season. He made just 10-of-15 field goals, botching three kicks inside the 40 (including one attempt under 30 yards), and missed three extra points before Mevis replaced him. 

Karty does, at least, have a bit more leg than Mevis, having converted a 58-yard attempt in 2024. Mevis' career-long is 52. 

Ironically, it's Karty who is back with the team less than a year after a release, while Mevis wanders jobless. It's a fitting twist to the Rams' thoroughly catastrophic special-teams play this season, not only in the kicking department but across the board.

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