The Los Angeles Rams made a big change on special teams Tuesday when they cut kicker Harrison Mevis and replaced him with Blake Grupe, who they signed off the New York Jets' practice squad. It's hopefully the next step toward fixing what has been the league's worst special teams unit for the last two years.
One thing Sean McVay isn't considering is a change to the coaching staff. During his press conference on Tuesday, McVay confirmed that special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone is not in danger of losing his job. He expressed confidence in Ventrone, while simultaneously putting the blame on himself for the Rams' shortcomings in that phase of the game.
McVay hired Ventrone to be his special teams coordinator this past offseason, so he's in his first
year with the Rams. Moving on from him before the end of the season would be a major surprise, to say the least.
McVay on special teams: "We need more consistent improvement and that starts with me doing a better job…. I have a lot of confidence in Bubba Ventrone. There’s no changes that are going to be made there. And we’re going to keep working."
— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) October 14, 2026
It's hard to know what the solution to the Rams' special teams issues could be, especially considering there are lapses in every phase. The kicking game hasn't been "close to good enough," McVay said, and the Rams have given up far too many big plays in the return game – including a 70-yard return on the opening kickoff Monday night.
Obviously, they haven't had any success themselves on punt or kick returns, which led to Xavier Smith being cut last week.
Ventrone has a hand in solving this puzzle, but McVay sounds sure that his special teams coordinator is not the problem.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Sean McVay confirms Bubba Ventrone isn't in danger of losing his job
