The Los Angeles Rams are in the market for a new kicker after releasing Brett Maher following an awful day in their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Maher missed two of his three field goal attempts as well as an extra point as the Rams lost 24-17.
Accuracy has long been an issue for Maher, who possesses great leg strength, but has often struggled to keep things straight. The Rams have already made a move to shore up their kicker spot, signing Lucas Havrisik off the Cleveland Browns practice squad, but they are looking at other options as well including a long-time reliable name.
According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the Rams are working out a group of kickers that includes former long time Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby:
The #Rams are working out a group of kickers today, including former #Packers mainstay Mason Crosby, sources say. Crosby’s entire 16-year career to this point was spent in Green Bay. For the first time, kicking in another uniform is a possibility. pic.twitter.com/teAIMlo37V
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 25, 2023
Crosby spent 16 seasons with the Packers and has been in every situation imaginable for a kicker throughout his career. And after spending so long kicking in the cold and rough conditions of Green Bay, an indoor stadium might be exactly what Crosby needs to continue his career at a high level.
As was noted earlier, the team did already sign Havrisik, but according to Garafolo, the Rams simply want to explore all possible options despite believing in the upside of the young kicker:
The #Rams signed K Lucas Havrisik off the #Browns’ practice squad yesterday, so he’s guaranteed three active-roster game checks. While they love Havrisik’s upside, they’re exploring all options at the position, including Crosby. https://t.co/DKa9jqyhIA
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 25, 2023
Having a little insurance makes a lot of sense, especially since Havrisik has never played an NFL regular season game. While he does have a strong leg, holding the record for longest field goal at the University of Arizona, accuracy was an issue for him in college as he made just 64.2% of his kicks.
Perhaps he has worked hard to improve since then, but checking out someone like Crosby, who has a career 81.4% mark in 16 NFL seasons, as well as other available veterans is the wise move for the Rams as they look to solve their kicking problem before taking the field next week against the Dallas Cowboys.
