Updated October 13, 2026, 6 p.m. ET
The ice has become too thin for the “Thiccer Kicker”.
The Los Angeles Rams waived Harrison Mevis on Tuesday (Oct. 13), not even 24 hours after the second-year kicker missed two field goals in Monday night’s 37-34 overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills. Mevis’ 48-yard attempt in overtime, which would have won the game, was blocked by Buffalo’s Greg Rousseau.
“I felt like I hit it pretty well,” Mevis said afterward. “That’s all I can tell you. I mean, I did well, I gave it a chance. I’ll have to watch.”
After the failure, which followed a fumble by Buffalo running back James Cook on the first possession of overtime, the Bills advanced the ball 35 yards in five plays before Tyler Bass connected on the game-winning 45-yard field goal.
Rams coach Sean McVay was clearly agitated following the loss to a team that was, and probably still is, widely expected to reach Super Bowl 61 in its own stadium.
“In the kicking game, especially with our PAT/field goal, it’s not even good enough. It cost us the game tonight,” McVay said after the loss dropped his club to 2-3, admitting he would look closely at the move.
“Yeah, I’ll evaluate everything.”
It didn’t take him long to make a decision.
Mevis was the Rams’ fifth kicker in the five seasons since they won Super Bowl 56 to close the 2021 campaign. His nickname comes from his 5-foot-11, 243-pound build. But he didn’t show a particularly heavy leg or the kind of weapons that his peers like Dallas’ Brandon Aubrey or Jacksonville’s Cam Little have become.
Mevis has certainly stabilized the position after taking over for Joshua Karty in 2025, converting 12 of his 13 field goal tries and all 39 of his extra point attempts — which is important given McVay’s apparent reluctance to go for two points (the Rams haven’t made a two-point try since 2023).
However, Mevis has missed four of his nine FG attempts this year and has never been a long-range weapon – a career-best 52 yards and also the only field goal he’s made past 50, although he’s only attempted two and also missed 50 on Monday.
The Rams have also had three field goal attempts blocked since the start of last season.
Los Angeles is removing veteran Blake Grupe from the New York Jets’ practice squad to replace Mevis, according to NFL Media. Grupe split his time between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts between the 2023 and ’25 seasons. He has completed 81.9% of his career FG attempts while going 19 of 27 from 50+ yards.
McVay also lamented not getting close to Mevis on his crucial attempt Monday night.
“I’m sick that we failed, and I’ll regret giving that kick and not having had a better choice so I could go for it on third down and go for fourth or whatever,” he said. “And it’s my fault.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been this angry after a match.”
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