The rebuilding Rams are the NFL’s youngest team, and nowhere is that more evident than in the kicking game.
St. Louis likely will open the season with rookie kicker Greg Zuerlein and rookie punter Johnny Hekker. It might sound risky, but the truth is they can’t be much worse than what the Rams got last year from their veteran specialists.
Josh Brown hit 75 percent of his field goals (21 of 28), ranking 30th in accuracy, and was released. Punter Donnie Jones finished 27th in net punting (37.3) and twice saw Arizona’s Patrick Peterson return punts for touchdowns. The Rams did not try to re-sign him.
A sixth-round pick, Zuerlein has quickly earned the nickname “Greg the Leg” by nailing 60-yard field goals in practice. Last year he made all nine of his tries from 50-plus yards at Division II Missouri Western State.
"It's a little bigger spotlight from what I'm used to,'' Zuerlein told the Associated Press about the jump to the NFL. "I like it. The sky's the limit right now.''
In Saturday’s scrimmage at the Edward Jones Dome, Zuerlein hit from 39, 44, 49, 54 and 59 yards before missing wide left from 64. He’s well ahead of Garrett Lindholm, a 2010 undrafted free agent from Tarleton State.
Hekker, an undrafted rookie from Oregon State, is competing with 28-year-old Tom Malone. Hekker has a stronger leg but needs to improve his directional punts.
"We had a couple stray balls that have gone from one field to the other," coach Jeff Fisher told the Post-Dispatch half-jokingly. "So we’ll get that cleaned up. But we’re not concerned. We knew going in that may be the case."
Hekker told the AP he’s working on limiting returns, “using the sideline as your 12th defender, forcing fair catches or having them catch it and step out of bounds. … The only people I'm trying to impress are the coaches. I'm not really worried about smashing 70 yarders or whatever.''
Hekker’s ability to throw should come in handy, enabling Fisher to call more fake punts. Punters threw 16 passes for Fisher’s teams from 1995 through 2005, according to the Post-Dispatch.
At Oregon State, Hekker completed 4-of-5 throws for 35 yards.
Hekker and Zuerlein can further solidify their jobs with strong performances in Sunday’s preseason opener at Indianapolis.
Get more Rams updates and analysis from Larry Hartstein @CBSSportsNFLSTL.