During the Sean McVay era, the Los Angeles Rams have revolutionized roster building by leveraging their top draft picks to acquire veteran players, relying on their ability to find gems in the later rounds of the draft – and in free agency – to build their team.
The Rams have been credited with this method since it has produced championship-caliber play, and, having suffered only one losing season under McVay, many see it as a smart way to build a winner. However, there is a cost to this strategy, and it has often been the difference between winning and losing in the playoffs.
The Rams have struggled to build a competent special teams unit in their post-Super Bowl LVI era. While Ethan Evans has been a star punter and Harrison Mevis could be a top kicker in time, the Rams’ struggles to consistently protect on field goals and punts led to their failure to win a Super Bowl in 2025, and was a major reason for their slow starts in 2023 and 2024.
The Rams have doubled down on their team-building efforts, parting with a plethora of picks to secure the talents of Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie. The Rams did hire a new special teams coordinator, Bubba Ventrone, and signed Grant Stuard as their special teams ace, so they have taken steps to address longstanding issues.
However, the Rams have yet to prove they can execute in the big moments on special teams. If the Rams have one looming Achilles’ heel, their special teams could haunt them once again.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Did the Rams do enough to address their Achilles’ heel from 2025?
Reporting by Brock Vierra, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brock Vierra, Rams Wire | USA TODAY Network
