Sean McVay reveals plans to rectify rotten field goal results for Week 10

The Los Angeles Rams were relatively quiet at the 2025 NFL trade deadline. But that does not mean that big changes are not underway. The team acknowledged that its field goal unit is sub-par this season. As a result, significant changes are underway. And these changes are appearing more and more likely to be permanent.

The team signed former long-snapper Jake McQuaide. One day later, the team signed UFL star kicker Harrison Mevis. Even after the Atlanta Falcons signed veteran free agent kicker Zane Gonzalez, the strategy employed by Los Angeles seems more thought-out and proactive. Will all of this generate the desired results? Well, it seems as though the team has a plan in place:

If this all seems fast-tracked, it is. LA cannot continue to squander an All-Pro performance from veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford by leaving the outcome of the game in the hands of a struggling special team's unit. It appears that Jake McQuaide has already pried the long snapper role from Alex Ward. This week's competition will determine whether it's Joshua Karty or Harrison Mevis kicking field goals in Week 10.

What a bad time for Rams to sort out this kicking mess

There was no way for head coach Sean McVay to close his eyes and hope the problem solved itself. Los Angeles is in the basement in terms of field goal accuracy. Teams with better results are making changes. It was only a matter of time before LA pulled the trigger on making necessary changes.

General manager Les Snead made multiple kicker changes in 2023 when the kickers struggled. Like it or not, Karty is struggling just as badly in 2025.

While the team had no alternatives until this week, Snead acted with lightning speed to land competitive players for Week 10. It appears that Ward has already lost his job. Will Karty follow suit?

It won't be easy not to. He has struggled mightily this season. And if he ends up tied or nearly tied with Mevis, can the team resist the urge to move in a new direction? Kickers struggle in the NFL; that's just how it goes. The San Francisco 49ers had already cut renowned kicker Jake Moody earlier this season.

Now it appears that the Rams are on track for a similar move.

Will a kicker competition fix everything? Well, one step at a time. The best outcome to hope for is to restore a bit of confidence in the group. It required nine weeks and eight games to get the team to this point. Digging out of this hole will take some time as well.

As always, thanks for reading.