Matt Prater is one of the best NFL kickers viewers have had the privilege to watch for years. He maybe almost joined the Los Angeles Rams. Now, Prater has been in the league since 2006 so with that longevity comes experience, but age. Age equating to diminished performance can be the end of an NFL career.
Prater specialized as a long-distance kicker with the most 50+ yard field goals made in NFL history. Prime Prater with Sean McVay would’ve been a cheat code for points. McVay did somewhat have this
type of kicker with Greg Zuerlein, he was great when he was great, but Prater was a bit better.
All that aside, the Rams are going with Brandon McManus.
You could say I buried the lede down here, but how desperate are the Rams for a kicker?
Very desperate. As their dream turned nightmare season rolls along.
Brandon McManus is latest signing in Rams’ kicker carousel (clutchpoints)
“The Los Angeles Rams are signing veteran kicker Brandon McManus, their third kicker of the 2026 NFL season.
The move follows Blake Grupe’s torn ACL during Sunday’s 18-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium.
McManus, 35, worked out Tuesday alongside free-agent kicker Matt Prater as Los Angeles addressed its special-teams problems.
The Rams are 2-4 after six games and hope the veteran can bring stability to the position.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport shared details of the agreement Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter, citing information gathered alongside fellow insider Mike Garafolo.“
NFC West standings: Rams fall to last place, 4 games behind 49ers (ramswire)
“It doesn’t help that the Rams have already lost to the 49ers, too, so they can’t sweep San Francisco and clinch that tiebreaker in the event that they finish with the same record. They’ll have to finish with a better divisional record than the 49ers in that case, which seems unlikely considering San Francisco is 3-0 and the Rams are 0-2.
The Rams have to go on a run before their Week 11 bye. They’ve got four winnable games coming up, one of which is a rematch against the Cardinals in Week 10. Their other opponents are the Raiders, Chargers and Commanders, who are all at or below .500.“
Past NFC Champ Takes Swipe at Rams for Losing to Mike LaFleur, Cardinals (heavy.com)
“Cardinals veteran wide receiver Kendrick Bourne blasted LA via Instagram in a postthat surfaced after the 18-16 victory.
He believes the Rams haven’t looked efficient on offense without LaFleur there.
“Them boys ain’t the same wit out LaFleur,” Bourne posted on his personal IG page.
LaFleur worked under McVay as offensive coordinator before accepting the Cardinals head coaching opening in the 2026 offseason. He became the latest past McVay OC to land a head coaching gig; following the path of brother Matt LaFleur, Zac Taylor, and Kevin O’Connell. The latter three have guided playoff runs or, in the case of the Cincinnati Bengals head coach Taylor, a Super Bowl appearance against the Rams in 2021.“
Rams put 2 players on IR, officially sign new kicker (ramswire)
“The Los Angeles Rams made a trio of roster moves on Tuesday, all of which were expected. They placed Davante Adams and Poona Ford on injured reserve and signed kicker Brandon McManus to replace Blake Grupe.
Interestingly, they did not put Kobie Turner on IR yet, though Sean McVay said on Monday that the team will likely move him there at some point; he’s expected to miss a “handful of weeks,” as McVay put it.
Adams will be out 6-10 weeks with a ruptured hamstring, while Ford will miss the rest of the season with a torn triceps. Turner injured his groin in Sunday’s loss but McVay didn’t have an exact timetable for his return.“
Rams are gambling on Brandon McManus being past his Packers collapse (ramblinfan)
“Last season, McManus ranked 43rd out 43 kickersas measured by FanSided’s Kick Value Added metric. he names directly above him? Ironically enough, LA’s Joshua Karty and Grupe.
Hopefully McManus can keep those gargoyles at bay for as long as the Rams must rely on him.
Brandon McManus isn’t dependable, but he’ll have to do for the Rams
McManus did, at least,beat out an ancient Matt Prater in Tuesday’s audition. If you’re looking for more robust reassurance, well, there really isn’t any, but McManus was highly effective in 2024, his first Packers season.“
NFL Power Rankings Week 7: Rams Fall 12 Spots, Steelers Up 5 (nfl.com)
“Check out Nick Shook’s Power Rankings for Week 7 of the 2026 NFL Season.”
49ers fans can laugh at the Rams (but it would be foolish to count them out) (ninernoise)
“While it is more than fair, and probably even encouraged, to laugh at the Rams right now, it would be silly to count them out entirely. Yes, they have been really bad and have had some key injuries, but they still have a lot of talent on the roster, and it would be surprising if head coach Sean McVay isn’t able to figure something out by the end of the season.
The Myles Garrett trade has not worked out as planned, and Davante Adams is going to be out for a while. But the Rams’ upcoming schedule is not especially scary, and if they get some of their guys back late in the season and start to peak for the playoffs, then they will definitely be a team no one wants to face in the playoffs.“
Jaguars could gift LA Rams a WR spark with Brian Thomas Jr. trade (blackandteal)
“The Washington Commanders most definitely make sense because of Thomas’ LSU connection with quarterback Jayden Daniels. However, there’s another club in the NFC that would make a push for him.
The Jaguars could trade Brian Thomas Jr. to the LA Rams in return for a 2nd-round pick
Like other teams that are dealing with injuries at receiver, Los Angeles would be a realistic landing spot for Brian Thomas Jr. While Puka Nacua is back in the fold after sitting out two contests with a groin and a core muscle injury, teammate Davante Adams will tentatively miss six to 10 games after sustaining a hamstring rupture. Brian Thomas Jr. would be a more than capable replacement, as Michel Haney at Ramblin Fan suggests. Here’s the skinny.“
5 things to know about new Rams kicker Brandon McManus (ramswire)
“Here are five things to know about the Rams’ new kicker.
He’s a Super Bowl champion
Before the Broncos went on a decade-long playoff drought that lasted after McManus’ departure, he won Super Bowl 50 with the team. During that playoff run, McManus hit all 10 field goal attempts and was perfect in point-after attempts.“
Raiders Won’t Face Former Star Davante Adams as Rams Lose Key Players (sports.yahoo)
“Adams, 33, spent parts of three seasons with the Raiders after arriving in a blockbuster trade with the Green Bay Packers in 2022. He was traded to the New York Jets during the 2024 season before joining the Rams.
Sunday’s game would have marked his first appearance against the Raiders since leaving Las Vegas.
Adams had been one of the Rams’ most productive offensive players this season, catching 30 passes for 480 yards and four touchdowns through six games.
His absence is another significant setback for Los Angeles, which has struggled to a 2-4 start.“
Comment of the Day:
“McManus is an experienced kicker in the NFL unlike Tanner whose glory came in the UFL. Rams obviously looking for someone with experience based off of who they brought in. I’ll go with the Rams in this one.” -TonyT828
