Rams sign kicker Brandon McManus; place Poona Ford and Davante Adams on injured reserve
WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — The Los Angeles Rams signed veteran kicker Brandon McManus on Tuesday and placed nose tackle Poona Ford and wide receiver Davante Adams on injured reserve, the team announced. McManus replaces Blake Grupe, whom Los Angeles placed on injured reserve on Monday after he tore his ACL in Sunday’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The moves address urgent needs on special teams and both sides of the ball.
McManus, 35, most recently played for the Green Bay Packers, converting 44 of 51 field-goal attempts (86.3 percent) and 62 of 63 extra-point attempts in 25 games across the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The 2024 season was his best statistically; he made 20 of 21 field-goal attempts (95 percent), including three of three from 50 or more yards, and all 30 of his extra-point attempts. The Rams cited that recent production in deciding to bring in a veteran presence at kicker following Grupe’s injury.
McManus spent the 2023 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars and his first nine NFL seasons (2014-23) with the Denver Broncos. He entered the NFL in 2013 as an undrafted free agent with the Indianapolis Professional Football Team and joined the New York Giants’ 2014 offseason roster before a summer trade sent him to Denver. He later signed with Green Bay prior to joining the Rams.
The Rams placed Ford on injured reserve after he ruptured a triceps, which the team called a season-ending injury. The club also placed Adams on injured reserve after he ruptured his semitendinosus and is expected to miss six to 10 weeks. Both injuries occurred in Sunday’s game against the Cardinals. Los Angeles will need to adjust its defensive-line rotation and redistribute receiving targets while both players recover.
NFL Sports Blog Take
The Rams moved quickly to stabilize the kicking game by signing a veteran who recently produced strong numbers in Green Bay. McManus’ 2024 performance and long-range accuracy give Los Angeles an experienced option at a position that became urgent after Grupe’s ACL tear. Losing Poona Ford for the season removes a veteran interior lineman and will alter the defensive rotation, while Adams’ six- to 10-week absence will force the passing game to redistribute targets and likely prompt roster moves at receiver. The next several weeks will test the Rams’ depth on defense, offense and special teams.