Rams' next move over Harrison Mevis should already be an open-and-shut case

Amid a disastrous campaign from incumbent kicker Joshua Karty, Harrison Mevis came to the Los Angeles Rams' rescue from out of nowhere. The former UFL kicker took over in November, just days after joining the practice squad, and missed only one field goal in 19 tries the rest of the way. That includes a perfect six-for-six in the playoffs. 

Now, Mevis is a pending free agent and the Rams face a decision. Do they bring him back or look for a more established option? Mevis' dependability down the stretch should be enough. He's earned the job entering next season.

Of course, Los Angeles could sniff around in free agency. Names like familiar NFL kickers Eddy Pineiro, Riley Patterson, and Nick Folk are all available. Folk, though, is 41. Pineiro has a mysterious problem with extra points. Patterson is solid. They'll all cost more than Mevis. General manager Les Snead probably doesn't want to spend more than necessary on a kicker.

Rams shouldn't overcomplicate their kicker decision this offseason 

Unlike the aforementioned veterans, Mevis does not have an accomplished track record to fall back on. For that matter, he doesn't have much of a track record at all. 2025 was his rookie season. He went undrafted out of college and was waived by both the Panthers in 2024 and the Jets last preseason before joining the Rams. 

There is also the fact that his longest made kick was only 52 yards. That head coach Sean McVay didn't call his number on longer attempts could indicate a lack of confidence in the rookie. Precision and reliability, not distance, were Mevis' strengths. 

It's worth noting, though, that in his college career at Missouri (2020-23), Mevis converted a 61-yarder as a senior. Two other times, he posted a season-long of 56 yards and went 13-18 overall from 50+. He has more leg than he had a chance to show last season. 

With all the touchdowns produced by the Rams' high-powered offense, accuracy is paramount. Karty missed seven extra points total in his one and a half seasons in Los Angeles. Including the playoffs, Mevis went 48-for-48. He had no problem when 15-yard penalties pushed the extra-point attempts back. 

That consistency adds up. By Kicker Value Added, he ranked eighth out of 43 kickers despite appearing in only 12 total games. Mevis added more than seven points over expected. Karty, meanwhile, finished 42nd in KVA by costing the team over 11 points. 

On an aggressive Sean McVay offense that likes to go for it on fourth down, long-distance kicking may be less important than on some other teams. Mevis did the job he was asked to do. That's more than could be said about recent Rams kickers.

All things considered, he made more than enough of his 12-week audition to earn a shot as the team's designated kicker out of training camp. Unless an obviously better option emerges, bringing Mevis back is something the Rams should be perfectly comfortable doing.