When you have two center backs, you have none. When you have two hits, you have a problem.
The Rams, who turned to Brandon McManus after losing Blake Grupe (who replaced Harrison Mevis) to a torn ACL, have returned Joshua Karty to the practice squad. On Wednesday, coach Sean McVay was asked if he would have two forwards on the 48-man game day roster.
“We’re going to work on all different things,” McVay said. “It all depends. When you have 48 bodies and different guys filling in, you really have to ask yourself, ‘Okay, does it really make sense?’ Does it fit?” There’s a lot of layers to it, so I wouldn’t be ready to answer that question yet.”
Karty, a sixth-round pick in 2024, lost his job to Mevis through the 2025 season. He had been out of the NFL after being released by the Cardinals on June 4.
The punting issue is one of the various issues the Rams have with their special teams. In a league where so many games turn around in so few moments, a single special teams glitch can turn a win into a loss.
At 3-4, the Rams can’t afford to lose many more games. On Sunday, they get a golden opportunity to get to .500 against the 0-6 Chargers.