5 Rams players who are on the roster bubble after NFL Draft

I: K Tanner Brown

The LA Rams fanbase has been lobbying hard for a new kicker for this team almost from the beginning of the 2023 NFL season. Had the team NOT drafted a kicker, you could have bet that the front office would have left a roster slot open to sign a kicker from the UFL as soon as their season had ended.

Thankfully, nobody has to wait until mid-June 2024 to see the team taking action to address the kicker position. The team selected Stanford kicker Joshua Karty with the 209th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft in Round 6. In doing so, the front office answered almost all Rams fans' prayers. Well, almost all Rams fans. I don't see placekicker Tarnner Brown praying for heated competition in training camp for the starting kicker role.

I have to admit to feeling sympathetic to the plight of ST Coordinator Chase Blackburn. Not only did he take over as ST Coordinator in 2023, but he inherited no special team players from the previous season. Worst of all, the team invested just one draft pick into the punter role to select Wingate powerhouse punter Ethan Evans.

The remainder of the special team specialists had to be found and signed after the 2023 NFL Draft.

To his credit, Blackburn did target two of the best kickers in the rookie class of 2023. Unfortunately, neither panned out. But Tanner Brown is back for a mulligan, and many second year NFL kickers have much greater success. But with the team investing a Round 6 pick to get Joshua Karty, Brown will need to kick the leather off the football to have a chance of earning the starting kicker role for this team in 2024. I don't see that happening.

The team focused on accuracy over power when signing rookies Tanner Brown and Christopher Dunn in 2023, with the plan to build strength. But the experience with both kickers last season was not promising for either strength or accuracy. Although a rookie, Joshua Karty checks off both categories.

Anything can happen. But the team was nowhere near confident in Brown's ability to handle the kicker role for 2024. WIth a rather high draft pick investment to get Joshua Karty, they appear to be much more confident in his ability to earn the starting kicker role this season.

Thanks for reading.