The Los Angeles Rams opted to go the veteran route for their starting kicker this season, with Sean McVay and company bringing in Brett Maher to lead the special teams unit. Maher is entering his fifth season as a starting kicker, spending three years with the Dallas Cowboys and one with the New Orleans Saints.
But at 33 years of age, Maher is certainly a veteran among kickers. He has kicked in four postseason games and has a career kick conversion rate of 88.8% when combining field goals and extra points. And McVay is excited about what he can bring to the Rams this season.
He said the Rams opted to go with Maher after looking over many different options because of Maher’s history of being a reliable kicker.
“Brett’s a guy that’s got a lot of production, over 90% for his career and I think he’s done it for a while. Thought Chase (Blackburn) and coach (Jeremy) Springer did a great job of kind of vetting a lot of the different possibilities and options that could occur. Really grateful for Tanner (Brown’s) contributions. Didn’t go the way that we wanted, but Brett Maher is a guy that’s done it at a high level. It’s good to be able to get him out here today and get acclimated. You don’t take for granted, everybody just thinks on the kicker, but the snap and the hold and those three really developing a continuity and a rapport is important and I was really pleased with the way the operation looked in Day 1.”
Maher has been a steady presence in the Cowboys kicker room for several years, but the team chose to part ways with him after going 1-for-5 on extra points in the team’s NFC Wild Card Weekend win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But removing that game, Maher has been exactly the type of kicker the Rams seem to be hoping for.
He has shown both range and consistency from multiple distances. And if the Rams offense struggles to convert touchdowns with a young offensive line, Maher should have the ability to clean up the mess and put three points on the board.
Rams announce eight team captains
The Rams finalized their list of eight captains for the 2023 season, including five offensive and three defensive players. The team captains are as follows: quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receiver Cooper Kupp, offensive lineman Rob Havenstein, tight end Tyler Higbee, defensive tackle Aaron Donald, defensive back Jordan Fuller, linebacker Ernest Jones and wide receiver Ben Skowronek.
