The Rams are moving to replace Blake Grupe after his torn ACL left them without a kicker again. Sean McVay said Monday the team would add someone very soon, and on Tuesday the search turned to Brandon McManus and Matt Prater.
That urgency comes from a problem the Rams have now faced for the second straight week. Grupe, who was in his first and only game with the team, injured his knee while making a tackle during a kick return after he had already made his kick.
McVay said the Rams are "in the process" of finding different options and expected to have something "in the next day or two." That narrow window matters because the team cannot keep carrying a roster spot without a kicker, and it is already back in the market after replacing Harrison Mevis earlier in the search.
The injury sequence made the moment especially hard to absorb. Grupe, listed at 156 pounds, tried a shoulder-to-shoulder tackle on the return and came away with a torn ACL, the sort of ending that leaves a team with two problems at once: no kicker and no obvious way to avoid the risk that caused the loss.
McVay said he felt terrible for Grupe and praised the fact that he converts his kicks, but the next step is clearer than the last one. The Rams are expected to settle on a new kicker soon, and Tuesday’s workout list points to Brandon McManus or Matt Prater as the likeliest answer.
