Kai

Forbath

Austin MacGinnis is next in line for kicker duties in Los Angeles. The Rams are also bringing in veteran leg Matt Gay but he won’t be able to work out for the team until Saturday because of COVID-19 protocols. MacGinnis has never kicked in the NFL.

He will be replaced by veteran Kai Forbath, whom the Rams signed last week. Monday night was Sloman’s last chance, and he responded by missing a 48-yard field goal in domed SoFi Stadium. The No. 248 overall pick of the draft finishes his Rams tenure 8-of-11 on field goals, having also missed three extra points. He was apparently also irking by coach Sean McVay by failing to hit his kickoffs out of the back of the end zone. Still only 23, Sloman will presumably become a fixture on the workout circuit. It is common for kickers to bomb their first NFL gig.

Rams head coach Sean McVay said because of the league’s COVID-19 protocols, Forbath won’t join the team until Sunday, just 24 hours before LA is set to take on the Bears. That leaves Sloman -- who’s made seven of nine field goals while missing three extra points this year -- as the team’s likely Week 7 kicker. It’s a great matchup against a Bears team allowing the NFL’s most field goal attempts through six weeks.

For now, seventh-round rookie Sam Sloman remains on the 53-man roster. The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue believes it may be a “motivational move.” Sloman has converted 7-of-9 field goals but shanked 3-of-18 extra points. There could be a mini competition in this week’s practices before coach Sean McVay decides on a starter for Week 7 against the Bears. Perhaps not coincidentally, it had been Chicago where Forbath was on the practice squad.

It’s officially Greg Zuerlein’s job. Forbath made all 10 of his field goal tries in three games for Dallas last season after replacing Brett Maher. Dallas kickers tried a league-high 41 field goals last year. Kicking for a highly productive Cowboys offense that should see plenty of positive game script in 2020, the big-legged Zuerlein is a prime target for fantasy managers who still play in leagues smart enough to include the kicker spot.

Forbath helped stabilize the Cowboys’ kicking position last year after Brett Maher flamed out. The 33-year-old veteran converted 10-of-10 field goal attempts. Forbath will likely face competition in the form of an undrafted free agent, but he will be the heavy favorite to kick Week 1.

In typical Cowboys fashion, the organization prioritized familiarity when making a change — Forbath, of course, took part in Dallas’ training camp in 2011 but was eventually released the following year for Dan Bailey. Forbath has kicked for five different teams since then, successfully sinking 85.8 percent of his field goal tries. He made his only field goal, a 23-yard shot, in his lone appearance with the Patriots this year.

Forbath, who just finished a one-game stint with the Patriots, will be joined by Nick Rose and Tristan Vizcaino. The Cowboys stuck with Brett Maher despite missing two kicks in a Thanksgiving loss to Buffalo, though his latest implosion Thursday night in Chicago may have sealed his fate once and for all. Forbath, who shanked an extra point in his lone appearance for New England in Week 13, would not be an improvement.

Forbath missed an extra point in Week 13. The Patriots claimed DT Albert Huggins off of waivers from the Eagles in a corresponding roster move.

32-year-old Forbath hasn’t kicked in a regular season game since he was with the Jaguars in ’18. He was also the Vikings’ full-time kicker two seasons ago. Nick Folk (appendectomy) isn’t expected to miss more than one game, so Forbath will likely be a one-week fill in for Sunday night against the Texans.