Brandon McManus, Rams Agree to Contract as New Kicker After Blake Grupe's Season-Ending injury

The Los Angeles Rams signed veteran kicker Brandon McManus on Tuesday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.

McManus and free-agent kicker Matt Prater worked out for Los Angeles earlier on Tuesday, per Rapoport and Garafolo.

The Rams were in need of a new kicker after Blake Grupe suffered a season-ending torn ACL during their 18-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

Grupe's injury occurred while attempting to make a tackle in the first quarter of the contest.

Los Angeles opened the 2026 season with second-year kicker Harrison Mevis as its starter, but cut ties with him following a string of inconsistent performances.

Mevis connected on just 55.6 percent of his field goals through five games, going 3-for-7 from at least 40 yards away.

After he missed a 50-yard field goal attempt and had a 48-yarder blocked in the Rams' overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 5, he was released.

▶️ Full Bills-Rams Recap

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As for McManus, he's played for three teams across his 12 years in the NFL and has 186 games under his belt.

The 35-year-old spent the 2025 season with the Green Bay Packers, connecting on 80.0 percent of his field goals. He hit three of his five attempts from at least 50 yards out.

The Rams will hope that McManus can bring some more stability to their special teams unit and help them bounce back from a disappointing 2-4 start to their 2026 campaign.