The Los Angeles Rams have released kicker Harrison Mevis, bringing an end to his tenure following a series of special teams errors, particularly during their recent overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills. Blake Grupe has been signed off the New York Jets’ practice squad to replace him, as reported by NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo and confirmed by Rams head coach Sean McVay on Tuesday, according to NFL.com.
Mevis’s Recent Struggles Prompt Release
Harrison Mevis, known affectionately as the “Thiccer Kicker,” has struggled significantly in his second NFL season. While he maintained a perfect record on extra point attempts, converting all 14 tries, he missed four of his nine field goal attempts this season. His performance in the 37-34 overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday night proved particularly costly, with two crucial misses directly impacting the game’s outcome.
During the Rams’ opening drive, Mevis missed a 50-yard field goal attempt, allowing the Bills to maintain an early 3-0 lead. Later, in overtime, disaster struck again when his 48-yard game-winning try was blocked by Buffalo’s Gregory Rousseau. While the block was partly attributed to the Rams’ linemen allowing Rousseau to surge through, the ball’s trajectory also appeared low and to the left, as noted by NBC Sports. This contrasts sharply with his successful 2025 campaign, where he made 12 of 13 field goal attempts and was perfect on 39 extra point tries.
Special Teams Coordinator Retains Position
Despite the special teams miscues that led to Mevis’s release, Rams head coach Sean McVay has expressed full confidence in special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone. McVay confirmed that Ventrone’s job is safe, stating: “I have a lot of confidence in Bubba Ventrone. There’s no changes that are gonna be made there. We’re gonna keep working. This isn’t the first time that we’ve had adversity and the first time that we’ve had some different things that I have to do a better job of.” This decision follows the Rams’ firing of their previous special teams coordinator, Chase Blackburn, in December after a series of blunders.
Blake Grupe Steps Up to Fill Kicking Void
The responsibility of rectifying the Rams’ kicking woes now falls to Blake Grupe. The 27-year-old was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets earlier this season but was moved to their practice squad and did not see game action. Grupe brings three seasons of NFL experience, having previously played for the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts. Across his career, he boasts an 81.9% accuracy on field goals and a 98.0% success rate on extra points, providing a seasoned option for the Rams as they look to improve their special teams performance.
