Rams waived Lucas Havirsik

They are signing Brett Maher, according to head coach Sean McVay. Maher is one of five kickers the Rams have had on their roster since the spring. He was released before they signed Havrisik in October.

“Getting into the playoffs definitely changes a little bit of the dialogue,” said McVay on Monday afternoon. The Rams clinched a postseason spot with their win at New York, and Pittsburgh’s win at Seattle on Sunday afternoon.

“Wanted to get somebody in here that had some experience. … There’s options out there, and then there are guys that have familiarity with it. There’s not a perfect scenario. But I think when you look at the landscape, some of the options, this is what we felt like was going to be the best opportunity to move forward the way that we want to.”

Maher played seven games for the Rams earlier this season and went 17-of-23 on field goal attempts, and 12-of-13 on extra point attempts.

Long snapper Alex Ward is dealing with a neck issue and went on injured reserve in December, altering the Rams’ snap-and-hold operation. Carson Tinker is currently the team’s long snapper.

Where the rest of the roster has dramatically improved over the course of the 2023 season, special teams remains last in the NFL in DVOA and has left 37 points on the board due to 11 missed field goals and four missed extra points. The punting unit has allowed two returns for touchdowns in the last four weeks, with one costing them the game in overtime at Baltimore.

According to DVOA creator Aaron Schatz, the Rams currently have the sixth-lowest special teams DVOA in league history.

“I do think there’s plays that we’re not making that we are capable of,” McVay said. “There have been a lot of moving parts as it relates to our field goal operation … I also think that some of the coverage things, we’ve got to tackle better. We do need to play better, (and) we’re capable of doing that.”