Rams K Harrison Mevis: The No. 25 Player Must Deliver Consistency in 2026
Over the past three years, the Los Angeles Rams have struggled to find consistency at the kicker position. While they drafted Joshua Karty in 2024 after managing Brett Maher and Lucas Havrisik, the Rams cut him last season following a dip in consistency.
The Rams signed Harrison Mevis last year, and he added some stability to the position. Still, there are a lot of questions at kicker. If the Rams are going to win the Super Bowl, they can't have it be derailed because of special teams.
Why is Harrison Mevis So Important?
It can be argued that the Rams lost two games last year because of the kicker position. Joshua Karty had two kicks blocked against the Philadelphia Eagles, including one that would have won the game. He then missed one from 53 yards in a 26-23 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
The Rams ranked 30th in field goal DVOA last season at -8.1 percent. For the first time in NFL history, the reigning MVP and Defensive Player of the Year are on the same team. The Rams are Super Bowl favorites, but if there is one thing that could completely derail those expectations, it's special teams.
Mevis added some consistency to the field goal unit last season as he went 12-for-13 in the regular season. During the playoffs, Mevis kicked the game-winning field goal in overtime against the Chicago Bears.
McVay has been better about being more aggressive on fourth down. However, the Rams still need consistency at kicker. A missed field goal could be the difference between the one-seed and playing on the road on Wild Card Weekend.
The Depth Behind Mevis
While it was somewhat surprising, the Rams didn't bring in any competition for Mevis this summer. In the case that Mevis struggles, the Rams would be right back where they were last season after they cut Karty.
Ideally, that isn't the case and the Rams can continue with Mevis going forward and he remains consistent. The Rams have a new special teams coordinator in Bubba Ventrone who can hopefully help as well. However, nothing is certain when it comes to the Rams' kicking game. It's very possible the Rams are looking for a kicker at some point during the season.
What Happens if Things Go Wrong?
There may be confidence in Mevis after last season, but it's still possible that things will go wrong for Mevis this year. Mevis was good inside of 40 yards, but the Rams rarely tested him outside of 50 yards. Mevis was 2-for-2 from beyond 50 yards, but his lone miss of the season came from 48 yards..
The Rams have to get the kicker position right this season. That's why it was odd that they didn't bring in at least some competition for Mevis. They have put all of their eggs in one basket. If it doesn't work, the Rams end up right back where they were last season, scrambling for a kicker and having a competition midseason.
Why We Ranked Harrison Mevis Here
Mevis might only be a kicker, but the Rams experienced first-hand how important special teams is to the success of a season. Had the Rams beaten the Eagles in Week 3, they may have had a better chance at the No. 1 seed in the NFC late in the season. A loss to the Seahawks in Week 16 would not have mattered and the Rams would have just needed to win out against the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals.
The reason Mevis is ranked 25th is because special teams and kickers don't matter until they do. Last season, the Rams showed multiple times that the only team capable of truly beating them was themselves. One of the few things that could derail a Super Bowl run for this Rams team is an inconsistent kicker.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/rams/onsi as Rams K Harrison Mevis: The No. 25 Player Must Deliver Consistency in 2026.
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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 6:56 PM.