When the Rams drafted Joshua Karty in the sixth round, it was assumed by many that he would be Los Angeles’ kicker this season. However, he won’t be handed the job. He’ll have to earn it, as he should.
Tanner Brown, who the Rams signed as an undrafted rookie in 2023, is putting up a fight in training camp.
Special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn told reporters Tuesday that both kickers have done well in practice and it’s been a “really tight competition.”
“Done well,” Blackburn said of Karty. “Once we get to the actual uprights – that’s one of the issues here. We just haven’t been able to get the uprights in so we all have the ‘skinnys.’ It’s going to look huge when we get the SoFi. That’s a good thing. Both him and Tanner have been kicking really well. Really tight competition. Everyone’s had (a) really solid camp. Taken off exactly where they were in the offseason. Feeling really good about where they’re at and where their mental state is and all those types of things.”
The Rams waived Brown last summer just before the start of the season and he remained a free agent all year before the team brought him back in January by signing him to a reserve/futures contract.
Karty should still have the advantage in this competition, being a drafted rookie with an excellent track record at Stanford, but it’s smart for the Rams to at least make it an open battle in training camp. Plus, most teams carry two kickers into camp so as not to put too much wear and tear on one player when working through kickoffs and other special teams situations.