The Los Angeles Rams have a number of notable voids on the roster to address before they usher in a new era at SoFi Stadium in the 2020 NFL season.
Most of the attention has been fixed on the significant changes the Rams have ushered in with their coaching staff. It now remains to be seen whether or not the same will happen to their player personnel.
The looming free-agent status of kicker Greg Zuerlein has largely been overlooked with all the talk surrounding the team’s potential plans for linebackers Dante Fowler Jr. and Cory Littleton. Regardless, it seems head coach Sean McVay is focused on doing his due diligence on every position.
McVay indicated that the Rams will be exploring all options this offseason, via ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry:
“He’s done so many things and he’s a great kicker and I think those established veterans are so important, especially when every time he takes the field, there’s points at stake, unless he’s kicking off,” McVay said. “But we want to make sure we’re evaluating the guys in the draft and then we’re going to have free agency.”
Zuerlein is coming off a disappointing 2019 NFL season after hitting just 72.7% of his field-goal attempts, which included a few crucial misses that resulted in losses for the team. Meanwhile, his recent track record with injuries is also a cause for concern when it comes to his availability in the future.
McVay’s comments suggest that shoring up a potential replacement for Zuerlein through free agency or the 2020 NFL Draft is certainly a possibility. After all, an established kicker like himself is set to garner a solid price tag and spending big money for a specialist is not in the books for Los Angeles with their limited resources.
Despite Zuelerin’s struggles, he would undoubtedly still be the best kicker on the market if the Rams were to let him test the waters of free agency. The prospect of them finding a kicker that would be considered an upgrade this offseason seems far-fetched and this could be more than enough motivation for them to find a way to get a deal done beforehand.
