With rookie kicker Samuel Sloman struggling mightily to start the 2020 NFL season, the Los Angeles Rams have signed kicker Kai Forbath to the active roster.
Among the notable losses the Rams were dealt this offseason was the departure of kicker Greg Zuerlein in free agency. Head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead attempted to alleviate this by using a seventh-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on Sloman with the hope that he could fill the void left by Zuerlein.
The rookie managed to edge out the CFL’s Lirim Hajrullahu and XFL’s Austin MacGinnis for the starting kicker job in training camp. Unfortunately, he has not been able to find his footing and his growing pains have proven costly for the Rams in close games.
Sloman is currently 7-of-9 on field goals to go along with three missed extra points through six games already. As a result, it appears his hold on the job in L.A. could be slipping away with the recent turn of events.
The Rams picked up Forbath off the Chicago Bears’ practice squad. The 33-year-old is a tested journeyman that could be looking to provide some much-needed stability to the special teams with his 86.8 percent career field goal percentage.
With both kickers on the active roster, L.A. is slated to hold a kicker competition at practice heading into Week 7. Forbath will now have an opportunity to potentially replace Sloman just in time for the Monday Night Football showdown versus the Bears.
In order to make room for Forbath, the Rams have placed linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo on injured reserve due to an elbow injury he suffered in Week 5. The onus will fall on the young depth in the linebacker corps to step up with Okoronkwo is expected to be sidelined for the next 4-6 weeks.
