The Los Angeles Rams set their 53-man roster on Tuesday, doing so without a single kicker on the team. They cut rookie Tanner Brown, the only kicker they had all offseason, leaving a vacancy at the position heading into the season.
Sean McVay assured everyone Tuesday that the Rams will have a kicker in Week 1, but the options have dried up after a flurry of trades this week.
With waivers taking place on Wednesday and several kickers on the free-agent market, the Rams could look to bring in one of these four kickers. None of them will be great options, certainly not close to the level of Matt Gay, but the Rams need someone before the season begins.
1
Michael Badgley
Badgley was part of final cuts in Tennessee, getting waived this week after the Titans traded for Nick Folk. Now a free agent, Badgley is looking for his next team and it could be the Rams. Though he’s bounced around the league – five teams in the last three years – he is a decent kicker. Between the Bears and Lions last year, Badgley made 24 of his 28 field goal attempts and all 33 PATs.
2
Cade York
York was a fourth-round pick in 2022 but he didn’t last very long with the Browns. He was cut this week after going 24-for-32 last season and struggling this summer in Cleveland. The Browns acquired Dustin Hopkins from the Chargers, which made York expendable, so he’ll hit the waiver wire now. He obviously has talent as a former fourth-round kicker, and he did make a 58-yard game-winning field goal as a rookie, but York hasn’t been accurate.
3
Brett Maher
Maher went 29-for-32 on field goal attempts last year, including 9-for-11 from 50-plus yards. It makes you wonder why he’s even available, but it’s partly because he went 1-for-6 on his extra point attempts with the Cowboys last postseason and he obviously wasn’t good enough for the Broncos this year, seeing as Denver traded for Will Lutz on Tuesday. Maher is probably the Rams’ best available option; he has a big leg and was mostly accurate last year.
4
Robbie Gould
Gould is a free agent and has been all offseason after going 27-for-32 last year. He doesn’t have the biggest leg and hasn’t made a kick longer than 52 yards since 2019, but he’s still accurate despite being 40 years old. That’s mostly what matters for the Rams. He has more experience and a better track record than anyone available.
