LA Rams secure the 2024 kicker role with this familiar player. Or did they?

The LA Rams struggled with special teams performances in 2023. But before we are lumped into the outcries of websites and fans who want the LA Rams to fire ST Coordinator Chase Blackburn, we want to stop for a moment and consider the LA Rams season as a whole. For starters, LA Rams placekicker Brett Maher was perfect in the 2024 NFL Playoffs, But the guy was not very dependable throughout the 2023 NFL season, which led to the Rams cutting him midway through the season.

The truth of the matter is that the Rams had parted ways with a number of kickers who played for them in the past. And many of those past kickers continued to attempt and make, field goals throughout the 2023 NFL season. Who are they? Well, in reverse order:

1. Brett Maher (X2) - 73.9 FG% | Over 40+ 62.5 FG% | 86.7 XPT%
2. Lucas Havrisik - 75.0 FG% | Over 40+ 44.4 FG% | 86.4 XPT%
3. Tanner Brown (Preseason) - 50.0 FG% | Over 40+ 0.0 FG% | 100.0 XPT%
4. Christopher Dunn - N/A
5. Matt Gay - 80.5 FG% | Over 40+ 68.2 FG% | 97.2 XPT%
6. Cameron Dicker - 93.9 FG% | Over 40+ 88.9 FG% | 100.0 XPT%
7. Greg Zuerlein - 92.1 FG% | Over 40+ 90.0 FG% | 93.8 XPT%

As you can see by the chart above, the LA Rams had parted ways with kickers in the past who had rather impressive 2023 NFL seasons. Of course, Cameron Dicker was not given a bona fide shot at the placekicking duties for the Rams in 2023. He was brought in to compete for the punter role, a role that he ultimately lost out to P Riley Dixon. But the Rams knew that he was a solid kicker at the time, and had an option to retain him.

And didn't.

But I am not prone to throw stones at any NFL team over kicker problems. It's such a hit and miss role for an NFL team, and if you examine the list above, every veteran kicker on the list had games in which the kicker was flawless. And the same list includes the names of veteran kickers who were completely flawed.

In the modern era of the NFL, patience is in short supply. One bad game for a kicker often equates to the team giving that player notice that they will be parting ways and going in a different direction. But as the LA Rams learned in 2023, the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence.