The Los Angeles Rams look primed to make a postseason bid again this season. After struggling late in 2023 and reaching the NFC Wild Card Round before losing to the Detroit Lions, the Rams have been working on improving their roster and team strength this offseason.
One thing that could be important is kicking. The Rams replaced multiple kickers during the 2023 season but struggled to find the consistency they wanted at the position. They began the season with Brett Maher as their kicker.
Maher had missed two field goal attempts in three games this season, including two missed field goals and one missed extra point in the Rams’ 24-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Lukas Havlicik replaced Maher and made 15 of his 20 field goal attempts.
Overall, the team finished third-bottom in field goal percentage in 2023, making just 74.4% of their field goals. Only the New England Patriots and New York Giants had a lower field goal percentage. These misses especially hurt the team as the Rams led the NFL in field goal attempts with 43, making them even more reliant on field goals for points.
After the regular season, the Rams took a new direction at the position by drafting Joshua Carty, a kicker from Stanford University. Carty, the Rams’ sixth-round pick, was a two-time All-American at Stanford. Carty made all but one of his extra-point attempts and 86% of his field goal attempts during his collegiate career. Carty was perfect from the field in 2022, making all 18 of his attempts.
Having a strong kicker is especially important for the Rams to have a chance to win more games considering 11 of their 17 games in 2023 have been one-score contests. Ideally, Carty will improve on last season’s kicking percentage and ensure the Rams’ special teams unit doesn’t become a burden.
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