The Los Angeles Rams' special teams unit has come under tremendous criticism over the last year due to habitual failures across every part of their operation. The goal in 2026 for head coach Sean McVay was to curb, if not outright eliminatem those issues by adding new pieces, including special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone.
Ventrone's group brought in a new long snapper, Joe Cardona, and added linebacker Grant Stuard to assist with their punt and kick coverage. The Rams chose to stick with Xavier Smith at returner, despite his muffed punts in the NFC Championship Game. In 2026, results have varied, and on Thursday, Ventrone spoke about Smith's work.
Calling it for what it was, Ventrone said Smith has been inconsistent and needs to do a better
job of tracking and fielding punts. However, Ventrone also made it clear that Smith is still the guy moving forward.
Rams special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone said Xavier Smith has been "inconsistent" in the return game thru 3 weeks. "We need to do a better job of tracking the ball, judging the ball, fielding the ball." Says there's no consideration of a change at returner
— Adam Grosbard (@AdamGrosbard) October 1, 2026
TheRams.com's Stu Jackson added that Ventrone also praised Smith's efforts in training camp and preseason, continuing to show his belief in the player.
Ventrone, citing the time and effort Smith put in during training camp and into the regular season, said "I think that he'll do the necessary things to be able to sustain at that position for us." https://t.co/l0Hxr1TgXx
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) October 1, 2026
Smith has been criticized for his decisions that have cost the team field position. However, he is just one part of a variety of issues that still plague the team's return unit. The Rams' special teams group is arguably the NFL's worst early in the season, coming in at 29th and 32nd in punt and kick returns, respectively, through the first two weeks.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams special teams coach backs Xavier Smith but admits he must improve
