Special teams was a focal point for the Los Angeles Rams this offseason after an abysmal 2023 season, with special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn drawing the bulk of the criticism in Year 1 of the role.
However, the narrative on the Rams’ special teams is much different in 2024 with Joshua Karty remaining perfect on the season, punter Ethan Evans continuing to improve with another impressive display on Sunday and Xavier Smith returning a punt 38 yards in the final minute of the game.
When asked about the amount of work the Rams put into their special teams unit, Sean McVay praised Blackburn for the job he’s done after a difficult first season.
“I think it’s being able to commit to a process,” he said. “We’ve got some better overall athleticism. I think Chase has done a great job bringing in Scott Frost to be able to help out, but we’ve got some continuity with the specialists, obviously adding Josh in the mix as a kicker. You’re looking at Ethan Evans taking a step as a punter and then obviously as a holder. I think getting Alex Ward back is big. We missed him towards the latter part of the year. It’s a big thing people don’t talk enough about, but really proud of Chase Blackburn’s leadership. He’s done an excellent job and that’s been a strength of ours through three weeks.”
Frost joined the Rams’ coaching staff this season after spending over 20-plus years in coaching. That was after a six-year career in the NFL where he primarily played on special teams. It seems like Frost’s inclusion and Blackburn’s perseverance had paid dividends as the special teams unit looks miles ahead of schedule.
In Sunday’s win, the special teams unit played a huge factor. Evans tipped the field position scale towards the Rams, Smith’s long return set up Karty’s game-winning field goal and the rookie kicker was perfect on the day, scoring eight points by himself.