Rams’ Special Teams Problem Is Starting to Look All Too Familiar

Following the 2025 season in which the Los Angeles Rams lost several games due to special teams, it seemed like head coach Sean McVay might finally prioritize that phase of the game. McVay hired well-regarded special teams coach Bubba Ventrone and then the Rams signed Joe Cardona and Grant Stuard.

However, through two weeks of the NFL season, the Rams are already back where they have been for much of the last three years. At -15.7 percent, the Rams rank dead last in special teams DVOA.

The Rams’ special teams unit got to a point last season where head coach Sean McVay made his first coordinator change in-season. McVay fired Chase Blackburn and promoted Ben Kotwica to finish the season. Without Blackburn, the special teams unit still had its moments, but there was at least some improvement.

McVay made a more permanent adjustment this offseason by hiring Ventrone. While Ventrone was highly regarded around the NFL, his unit with the Cleveland Browns had its own issues last year. In 2025, the Browns had a punt block in a Week 2 loss and allowed back-to-back kick returns for touchdowns in Week 10. They also allowed a punt return for a touchdown in Week 4.

With Ventrone, the Browns ranked tied for last in special teams DVOA in 2025. It’s possible that was simply an outlier, but it also doesn’t answer the question of why the Rams and McVay specifically can’t get this unit right.

In the Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Rams allowed a 45-yard kick return to start the second half. That set the tone for the rest of the game as the 49ers went on to win 27-7.

While the Rams won on Monday night against the New York Giants, it didn’t come without its share of special teams errors. Ethan Evans’ first punt only traveled 38 yards and set the Giants up close to midfield. Xavier Smith had four punt returns for 32 yards, but one went for -2 yards. At one point in the second half, the Rams put two returners on the punt unit. Smith also bobbled the opening kickoff of the second half, setting the offense up at the 11-yard line.

It didn’t stop there. Harrison Mevis missed a 43-yard field goal to end the first half. Later in the game, the Rams had a chance for a 56-yard field goal. Instead of allowing Mevis the opportunity to kick it, the Rams took a delay of game penalty and settled for a punt.

Harrison Mevis misses the 43 yard field goal going into the half#RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/bDuj8mgdGx
— Carter Lowe 🦡 (@carterjlowe) September 22, 2026

Also in the second half, Tanner Ingle took a 15-yard penalty to set the Giants up at midfield after a kick return. The penalty allowed the Giants to score three points.

“I think there are a lot of areas for improvement,” said McVay. “We have to be smart. I trust Tanner [Ingle] to be able to learn from that, but we can't put the ball around midfield where they get a good return and then we tack on an extra 15]. Yesterday was not the best day for special teams.”

Rams Made Few Personnel Changes on Special Teams

After all of the special teams issues that the Rams had last year, and despite bringing in a new coordinator, they didn’t bring in any real competition for Ethan Evans, Harrison Mevis, and Xavier Smith. While the Rams signed Jack Bouwmeester to the practice squad and had Kyren Williams field punts early in training camp, there wasn’t ever any true competition.

Through two weeks, the Rams’ field goal and kickoff units rank 27th in DVOA. Additionally, their kick and punt return units rank 32nd and 29th.

There’s no doubt that Evans has been good in moments. The Rams don’t beat the Seahawks last season without his punt that landed perfectly out of bounds at the one-yard line. At the same time, the Seahawks arguably don’t win in Week 16 if Evans has a good punt and Rashid Shaheed doesn’t have the return for the touchdown.

Evans has been far too inconsistent. For every good punt, Evans has a bad punt to follow. Evans’ 38-yard net average ranked 30th out of 33 qualifying punters last season. Evans has had an issue outkicking his coverage unit. Last season, Evans was responsible for allowing 16 yards per return. That was the highest in the NFL.

Again, the most the Rams did in the offseason was sign Jack Bouwmeester to the practice squad. He’s likely only there because of his international status and player roster exemption. It was the bare minimum.

Harrison Mevis Still Has Something to Prove

It’s true that Mevis helped add some stability to the kicking game last season. He also hit the game-winner in tough conditions in the NFC Divisional Round against the Chicago Bears. However, it became increasingly clear that the Rams didn’t trust him outside of 50 yards. Mevis went 12-for-13 last season, but had only one attempt from 50 or more yards. Among kickers with at least 10 attempts, that was tied for the fewest along with 39-year-old kicker Graham Gano.

A 56-yard field goal is by no means a guarantee. Since 2021, NFL kickers have a 62.2 percent success rate from 56 yards out. However, since 2023, that’s risen to 66.7 percent and since the beginning of last season, it’s 70 percent.

The Rams didn’t necessarily need to move on from Mevis, but it still doesn’t make sense that they didn’t bring in any competition. Bringing in competition wouldn’t have even taken draft capital. The Giants signed Dominic Zvada as an undrafted free agent. Zvada was the Big Ten Kicker of the Year and had a make from 53 yards out on Monday night.

While it might be unfair to judge a player on one mistake, an argument can be made that Smith should never have been back after his fumble against the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game. Smith had a good preseason as he had a game-changing return against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, the Rams didn’t even bring in any outside competition this offseason.

The most the Rams did was have Williams field some punts early in training camp. It’s possible that, at that point, the Rams were having second thoughts, but his return against the Chiefs changed their mind. Smith simply needs to be better than he was on Monday night against the Giants.

Rams’ Special Teams Problems Go Beyond One Coordinator

It’s seemingly been the same, exhausting dance every year under McVay since the team moved on from John Fassel. After Joe DeCamillis was fired following the 2023 season and subsequently left for college, he was quoted saying, “Really at that time was just feeling like I wanted to get back with somebody that emphasized special teams.” DeCamillis was referring to the NFL as a whole, but it’s a damning quote for McVay as well.

The Athletic’s Mike Sando dove into the Rams’ special teams issues this offseason. Sando discovered the Rams rank 31st out of 32 teams in special teams commitment. It was also reported then that McVay moved special teams periods toward the start of practice. McVay seems to understand that the special teams unit needs to be better. It may be unfair to call it a lack of understanding, but it’s as if McVay knows changes are needed, but isn’t sure how to get the special teams unit where it needs to be. Many of the changes that the Rams have made are only surface level. Changing the coordinator was needed, but there are still issues.

Rams’ Commitment Still Doesn’t Match the Problem

There might be more of a commitment to special teams from McVay, but outside of hiring a new coordinator and adjusting the practice routine, there isn’t much evidence to suggest otherwise. After last season, the Rams’ special teams unit needed a full reset, and yet much of the core group returned without much hesitation. Not bringing in any competition would suggest that the Rams were comfortable with that group.

Throughout the first two weeks, despite a new coordinator, the results have been the same and the Rams are right back where they were for much of last season. They are once again at the bottom of the NFL in special teams DVOA and familiar issues have surfaced. At some point, the coordinator is no longer the issue. It may still be early to consider changes, but if the issues continue, the Rams may need to be prepared to do so. If the results don’t change, the Rams could be left asking themselves why more personnel changes weren’t made.

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