Sean McVay explains decision to cut Brett Maher, bring in Lucas Havrisik

Sean McVay admits he put Brett Maher in “some tough situations” as a kicker this season, particularly with the long-distance FGs

Just as they did in 2020, the Los Angeles Rams are once again cycling through kickers. They had rookies Christopher Dunn and Tanner Brown competing for the job during the offseason before settling on Brown. Then, they cut Brown before the season started and signed Brett Maher to the practice squad, giving him a shot to be their Matt Gay replacement.

That didn’t work out, either. On Tuesday, they cut Maher after he missed three kicks in Sunday’s loss and seven on the season: six field goals and one PAT. Four of Maher’s six misses were from beyond 50 yards, including 56- and 57-yarders, but the Rams weren’t satisfied with the job he did from week to week.

On Wednesday, Sean McVay explained the decision to cut Maher, admitting he put the kicker in some tough spots with those long attempts.

“Want to thank Brett Maher for his contributions,” McVay said. “I do think that it wouldn’t be accurate to honestly assess that he’s been a really good kicker for a long time, handled himself with pure class, did a good job. There were some tough situations that I put him in that doesn’t go lost on me. It’s not exclusively … anytime you just look at some of these things it’s gratitude, appreciation, recognition for the good things that he did. It wasn’t like easy spots that he was put in with some of these 50-yarders. Had as many field goals made going into Week 7 as anybody in the league with two other kickers. There were a lot of good things. It wasn’t a for-sure decision, but it was something that we felt like was the best decision. Whether or not it ends up being the right one, you try to weigh the factors and you try to be as accurate with those assessments as possible.”

To take Maher’s place as the Rams’ primary kicker moving forward, they signed Lucas Havrisik off the Browns’ practice squad. Though he hasn’t kicked in a regular-season game as a pro, the Rams like what he brings to the table.

“Well, I think, a lot of the potential, a lot of the talent in terms of when you talk about as a quarterback, the ball jumping off of a guy’s hand and being able to throw consistent spiral change in trajectories. This is the same thing that you talk about,” McVay said. “Consistent ball flight, immediate height, consistency with the approach, and a lot of the things that you liked when you go back to his career at Arizona. They had liked him in Cleveland. Matt Gay’s feedback was something that that weighed into it as well based on him being around him in Indianapolis.”

Havrisik obviously doesn’t have the experience that Maher or Gay do, but that doesn’t seem to bother McVay. He doesn’t sound fully committed to Havrisik as their long-term solution and they’ll see how he does, but this is the direction Los Angeles is headed right now.

“You got to start somewhere, right?” McVay said. “You look at all of these guys had to be able to get their experience somewhere and so I don’t think that can make you gun shy. I think you want to be realistic about some of those spots similar to what was asked earlier there. So I think we’ll evaluate how the week goes. We’ll see how Lucas does. Got a couple other guys that you potentially look at via practice squad spots and then we’ll make the best decision as it relates to how we approach Dallas.”

Matt Gay’s feedback factored into Rams signing Lucas Havrisik

The Rams weighed Matt Gay’s opinion when deciding to sign Lucas Havrisik after the two were both on the Colts this summer

The Los Angeles Rams moved on from Brett Maher as their kicker this week, cutting the veteran after just seven games. They quickly replaced him with Lucas Havrisik, who they signed off the Browns’ practice squad Tuesday.

Havrisik isn’t a well-known name for fans, but he got a key endorsement from someone Rams fans know well: Matt Gay.

Sean McVay said in addition to weighing the opinions of special teams coaches Chase Blackburn and Jeremy Springer, who played a role in signing Havrisik, the Rams also got positive feedback from Gay.

Havrisik and Gay were on the Colts together this offseason, so Gay got to know the former Arizona Wildcat during their time in Indianapolis.

“Matt Gay’s feedback was something that weighed into it, as well, based on him being around him in Indianapolis,” McVay said. “All of those factors are things that go into it.”

When the Rams signed Gay back in 2020, it was at the recommendation of long snapper Jake McQuaide. Johnny Hekker also played a role in bringing him to Los Angeles, identifying him as a good kicker who could help the Rams.

Maybe this recommendation from Gay will work out similarly for the Rams as they search for a good replacement at kicker.

Rams expected to sign kicker Lucas Havrisik off Browns’ practice squad

Will the team sign someone else to the practice squad

Though the Cleveland Browns don’t have a large need at backup kicker due to Dustin Hopkins they have lost their fallback plan. The Rams are signing kicker Lucas Havrisik from the Browns practice squad to their active roster.

Havrisik spent the 2022 season with special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone in Indianapolis on the team’s practice squad. He hasn’t attempted any regular season kicks after going undrafted out of Arizona last year.

The Browns are finally in a good position to not stress about kicker so this move doesn’t really affect the team in a major way. The team is potentially looking to add a quarterback or running back but I would also expect they add a kicker to the practice squad.

Bubba Ventrone will likely have a say in who the team brings in as he has shown already that he was a high-quality hire. Stay tuned to BrownsWire as the team will likely make more moves this week.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Rams to sign K Lucas Havrisik off Browns’ practice squad to replace Brett Maher

The Rams have found their new kicker. They will sign Lucas Havrisik off the Browns’ practice squad to replace Brett Maher.

The Los Angeles Rams didn’t waste much time making a move at kicker after Brett Maher missed three kicks in Sunday’s loss. They cut Maher on Tuesday and will replace him with Lucas Havrisik.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Rams plan to sign Havrisik off the Browns’ practice squad, which will land him a spot on Los Angeles’ 53-man roster and at least three game checks.

Havrisik originally signed to the Colts’ practice squad in 2022 but was cut shortly after. He signed a futures contract with Indianapolis in January but was released just before the season started and had been on the Browns’ practice squad ever since.

He has yet to attempt a kick in a regular-season game.

In college at Arizona, Havrisik made 34 of his 53 field goal attempts, with a long of 57 yards – tying the school record. He also went 73-for-78 on extra point attempts at Arizona.

Colts make 9 roster cuts

The Colts made some initial roster cuts Sunday.

The Indianapolis Colts made their first roster cuts Sunday ahead of the Tuesday deadline.

With the preseason officially over, the Colts will be working over the next few days to trim the roster down to 53 players.

Here’s a look at the initial roster cuts Sunday, which included seven waived players and two others who were released outright:

Studs and duds from Colts’ preseason loss to Bills

Studs and duds from the Colts’ preseason opener against the Bills.

The Indianapolis Colts opened their preseason with a 23-19 loss against the Buffalo Bills on the road at Highmark Stadium on Saturday.

Marking the first time we’ve seen the Colts play under a new regime led by rookie head coach Shane Steichen. There were plenty of highs and lows from the preseason opener.

This will focus solely on those who performed well and those who failed to make a strong impression Saturday. Most of these players will have a chance to build off their performances, either good or bad, over the next two weeks.

Here are the studs and duds from preseason Week 1 opener against the Bills.

Colts sign K Lucas Havrisik to futures contract

The Colts signed K Lucas Havrisik to a futures deal.

The Indianapolis Colts signed free-agent kicker Lucas Havrisik to a Reserve/Futures contract, the team announced Tuesday.

Havrisik spent a short time on the Colts’ practice squad this season and participated in the team’s 2022 rookie minicamp following the NFL draft.

He and Chase McLaughlin signed to the practice squad after the release of Rodrigo Blankenship. McLaughlin eventually won the job and had a stellar season kicking for the Colts.

Havrisik has yet to appear in an NFL game since entering the league out of Arizona.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbwdn1cy47y964q player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]


Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)

Colts add a pair to the practice squad

The Colts added TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart and G Arlington Hambright to the practice squad.

The Indianapolis Colts signed tight end Nakia Griffin-Stewart and guard Arlington Hambright to the practice squad and released kicker Lucas Havrisik and tight end Jared Scott from the practice squad, the team announced Tuesday.

The notable piece of news here is that Havrisik was released from the practice squad, signifying that Chase McLaughlin will be the kicker moving forward. McLaughlin played just one snap in Week 2, which was the opening kickoff of the second half.

The Colts technically could keep him on the practice squad and elevate him two more times until they need to sign him to the active roster. Whether they’ll do that remains to be seen.

Griffin-Stewart spent time at Rutgers (2015-2018) and Pittsburgh (2019) before entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He’s spent time on the practice squad or offseason roster with the Minnesota Vikings (2020), Green Bay Packers (2020), New York Giants (2020–2021) and Cleveland Browns (2022). He was active for one game with the Kansas City Chiefs (2021).

Hambright had previously been a part of the practice squad before the Colts signed Havrisik and McLaughlin before Week 2.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbwdn1cy47y964q player_id=none image=https://coltswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]


Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)

[lawrence-related id=75446,75444,75440]

[listicle id=75449]

Colts sign former Browns kicker Chase McLaughlin

Expected to be a contender in the tough AFC, the Colts signed the Browns kicker from 2021 (71.4% on field goals) and a kicker that hit on 64.2% in college. Thank goodness for Cade York:

In what seems a little like a world turned upside down, the NFL had a huge problem with kickers in Week 1 but that did not include the Cleveland Browns. While rookie kicker Cade York was busy hitting all four of his field goal attempts and both of his extra points, kicks were sailing wide right, wide left or doinking off the goal post all around the league.

While Browns fans celebrate finding a solid kicker for the next (hopefully) 10-plus years, and Jim Donovan and Nathan Zegura get their voices back, other teams are scrambling.

The Indianapolis Colts, a team expected to compete in the rugged AFC, tied the Houston Texans, a team not expected to compete even in the lowly AFC South, in Week 1.

Tuesday, the Colts cut kicker Rodrigo Blankenship after he missed one of his three field goal attempts. In his place, Indianapolis signed two kickers including former Cleveland kicker Chase McLaughlin:

For his career, McLaughlin has attempted 49 field goals, only making 37 (75.5%). Last year in Cleveland, he made just 15 of his 21 field goal attempts (71.4%) and was waived shortly after the team drafted York.

Lucas Havrisik, the other kicker signed to compete in Indianapolis, played five years at the University of Arizona where he only made 64.2% of his 53 field goal attempts. He also missed five extra points.

Thank goodness for GM Andrew Berry drafting York this year or Browns fans would have to convince themselves that kickers with these track records could turn it around in Cleveland.

Colts officially waive Rodrigo Blankenship among several roster moves

The Colts announced several roster moves, including the official waiving of Rodrigo Blankenship.

The Indianapolis Colts officially waived kicker Rodrigo Blankenship among several roster moves, the team announced Tuesday.

Blankenship’s erratic outing in Week 1 was the final straw for the Colts. Not only did he miss the game-winning field-goal attempt from 42 yards, but he also proved to be a liability on kickoffs.

The Colts brought in two kickers to the practice squad while making a number of moves Tuesday. Here’s a look: