Rams waive kicker Joshua Karty after replacement Harrison Mevis' strong start

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams have waived kicker Joshua Karty, who held the starting job for 1 1/2 seasons before being replaced by Harrison Mevis earlier this month.

The Rams (9-2) made the move Friday before traveling to face Carolina on Sunday.

Los Angeles replaced Karty with Mevis three games ago, and Mevis has made 13 straight extra points and two field goals without a miss, stabilizing the Rams' chaotic kicking unit.

The Rams are hoping to re-sign Karty to their practice squad, coach Sean McVay said Friday.

“Honestly, it wasn’t something that we wanted to do,” McVay said of waiving Karty. “We always had the intention of being able to keep two kickers. That was contingent upon the health of our roster. What went into it had nothing to do with … Josh has done a great job. I think there’s been a lot of growth that’s gone on that hasn’t been seen in terms of the way he’s gone about his weekly rhythm.”

Los Angeles drafted Karty in the sixth round in 2024, and the Stanford product won the starting job as a rookie. He missed only three of his 34 field-goal attempts last season.

But everything went wrong for the Rams' kicking unit this season: Karty missed five of his 15 field-goal attempts and missed three extra-point attempts, sometimes because of pressure and blocks.

Los Angeles had two field-goal attempts blocked in the final minutes of its 33-26 loss to Philadelphia in September, including a kick that would have won the game for the Rams, but was instead blocked and returned 61 yards for a touchdown as time expired.

When Karty missed an extra point and a field-goal attempt in a blowout win over New Orleans in Week 9, the Rams brought in Mevis to compete for his first NFL job.

The Rams also have shored up their protection unit and re-signed Jake McQuaide, a veteran long snapper who spent his first 10 NFL seasons with the Rams and moved with the team from St. Louis to Los Angeles.

“I certainly have been pleased with what it’s looked like from the 49ers game on,” McVay said, identifying Mevis' debut game. “I’m a lot happier overall as a head coach when we’re kicking extra points and not field goals, but I’ve been pleased. We’ve put a lot of work into it.”

The Rams still kept Karty on the roster for three weeks before clearing the spot.

McVay said the Rams still plan to use both Mevis and punter Ethan Evans on kickoffs, depending on what the team is trying to accomplish with each kick.

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