Joshua Karty's 'Dirty Kickoff' Is Making a Big Difference for Rams Special Teams

Special teams has been a consistent theme for the Los Angeles Rams this season. For much of the first eight weeks of the season, the Rams were by far the worst special teams unit in the NFL.

Through eight weeks, the Rams had a -12.9 special teams DVOA. While the Rams still have the worst special teams unit, they’ve improved to a -9.5 special teams DVOA over the last two weeks.

Joshua Karty's Dirty Kickoff Is Making a Difference

A big reason for that improvement has been the addition of Joshua Karty and the “dirty” kickoff. It’s certainly been unconventional for the Rams to roster two kickers, but it has worked out for their special teams. Karty had inconsistencies last year on the field goal unit, but he excelled on kickoffs. Instead of a high, soaring kick with hangtime, Karty’s dirty kickoff is a low, wobbling kickoff designed to mimic a ground ball in baseball, making it difficult for returners to handle.

As seen in Karty’s return against the Los Angeles Chargers, there is some risk with the dirty kickoff. Given the low trajectory, there is a possibility of it landing before the landing zone, resulting in a flag that puts the offense at the 40-yard line.

However, for the most part, the Rams have reaped the rewards and it’s helped the kickoff coverage unit. Through the first eight weeks of the season, the Rams were allowing an average of 28.7 yards per kickoff return and teams were starting at the 34.7-yard line on average.

A Dramatic Turnaround in Field Position

With Karty’s dirty kickoff, that has improved dramatically. It’s still a small sample size and teams may adjust as they see it more. With that said, over the last two weeks, the Rams have allowed just 18.8 yards per return and teams have started at the 29-yard line on average. That’s almost a 10-yard improvement per return and a better field position of 5.7 yards.

What makes that even more impressive is that Karty has done that despite two kicks landing short of the landing zone. However, Karty helped offset those mistakes with two touchbacks last week. Given that the ball hits the ground before the end zone on the dirty kickoff, touchbacks go to the 20 rather than the 35.

Karty's two "dirty kickoffs" that resulted in touchbacks.

Returners may get more comfortable as they see it more, but there's also a reason these guys are playing football and not shortstop. pic.twitter.com/7lbXx8zJoR
— Blaine Grisak (@BGMediaOnSI) November 14, 2026

There is still a lot of room for improvement with the Rams’ special teams, but the in-season implementation of the dirty kickoff is evidence of the coaching staff doing what it can to improve the operation. With limited roster spots, it’s also worth considering how long the Rams can afford to roster two kickers.

Improvement Goes Beyond the Kickoff Coverage Unit

Outside of kickoffs, the Rams have also improved on the punt team in recent weeks. Over the last two games, Ethan Evans’ 44.6 net yards per punt is ninth in the NFL and he is PFF’s second-highest graded punter. Brandon McManus has yet to be tested on the field goal unit, but is perfect on extra points and his three field goal attempts.

For much of the season, the Rams' special teams were actively hurting their chances of winning games. Signing Karty and implementing the dirty kickoff shows the coaching staff continuously working to improve that facet. With the dirty kickoff, the Rams have found something that works, but they still need to prove they can be consistent. Given how costly special teams mistakes have been this season, that's at least a step in the right direction.

Add us as a preferred source on Google