There's a new kicker in town for the Los Angeles Rams. On Tuesday, the Rams made the decision to cut Harrison Mevis and sign Blake Grupe off the New York Jets' practice squad.
Grupe is an experienced kicker who has been in the NFL since 2023, spending time with the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts before landing on the Jets' practice squad in 2026. Los Angeles believed he was the team's best option at kicker, but he'll still have to prove himself to the Rams' coaching staff.
Here are five things to know about Los Angeles' new kicker.
He's tiny compared to Mevis
Mevis' nickname was the "Thiccer Kicker," weighing in at 6-foot-1 and 243 pounds. Grupe is, well, not nearly as big. According to the Jets' roster, Grupe is listed at 5-foot-7 and 156 pounds. That's an 87-pound
difference between Mevis and Grupe.
Grupe may be small, but he still has a powerful leg.
He's made a 60-yard field goal before
Speaking of his powerful leg, Grupe has shown he can hit from distance. Last season with the Colts, he made a 60-yard field goal to take a late lead over the Seahawks, though Seattle wound up winning on a 56-yard field goal by Jason Myers with 29 seconds remaining.
Only one other kicker in Rams history has made a 60-yarder, and that's Greg Zuerlein; he made two from 60 and one from 61 during his time with the Rams.
He was 11-for-11 with the Colts last year, including 4-for-4 from 50-plus
Grupe struggled with the Saints in his first 11 games of last season, missing a league-high eight kicks before being cut. The Colts then picked him up and he completely turned it around. He went 11-for-11 as a member of the Colts, including a perfect 4-for-4 from 50-plus yards.
If he can recapture that magic from his time in Indianapolis, the Rams may have someone reliable on their hands.
He was a semifinalist for the best kicker award in 2019
During his time at Arkansas State, Grupe was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, which goes to the best kicker in the nation. That year, he was 19-for-22 on field goal attempts and 53-for-54 on PATs. He didn't win the award, but it did put him on the map.
His 110 points that year set a school record and were his career-high.
He made 7th-most 50-plus-yard FGs from 2023-2025
Grupe hasn't kicked yet this season, but over the last three years, only six kickers made more field goals from 50-plus yards than him. He's gone 19-for-27 from long distance, which isn't exactly a high make rate (70%) but he's shown he can make long field goals – something Mevis struggled with.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: 5 things to know about new Rams kicker Blake Grupe
