Sam

Sloman

It’s quite an upgrade for the 39-year-old kicker. The 49ers did bring in practice squad kicker Sam Sloman this week, but this designation would seem to suggest that it was a case of being overly cautious rather than Sloman replacing Gould this week. Gould missed practice entirely on Wednesday. The run-heavy 49ers/Falcons game probably doesn’t project as a fantasy gold mine for either kicker.

This DNP is not a great sign for Gould’s availability this week, and the 49ers signing Sam Sloman to the practice squad is another indication Gould will sit. Sloman will be a decent fantasy option if he gets the start.

This has been a precursor over the last few weeks for a kicker deactivation -- and there have been a ton of injured kickers in fantasy leagues so far. Robbie Gould is dealing with a knee bruise and could be an inactive candidate for Week 6. Sloman was with the Steelers in training camp and hit 11-of-13 field-goal attempts for the Rams and Titans last year while missing four of 35 extra points.

The Rams’ seventh-round pick last year, Sloman was released after seven inefficient games only to land with the Titans and kick the game-winning field goal in its victory to clinch the AFC South title. He was released in January. Chris Boswell is still the favorite to open the year as Pittsburgh’s starter.

Sloman made eight of 11 field goal tries and 18 of 21 extra point attempts this season with the Rams. He would be an insurance policy for veteran Stephen Gostkowski, who’s had a disastrous season, missing eight of 23 field goal attempts along with two extra points. Almost any other kicker would have been cut by now. Sloman would have immediate fantasy relevance on a Titans team that generates plenty of neutral and positive game script, which allows for more field goal tries.

It’s not exactly stunning after Stephen Gostkowski’s cringe-inducing struggles this season. The veteran has missed seven of 17 field goal tries -- including a potential game winner two weeks against against Pittsburgh -- along with two extra points. Whoever kicks for the Titans should see solid opportunity in an offense that moves the ball efficiently.

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.

While the Rams blasted Twilight Zone music as Sloman kicked, the seventh round selection missed three of his eight field goal attempts. He was the only one of the three kickers to make his 53-yard try. Sloman was off target in the team’s first scrimmage too. When a team drafts a kicker, he usually makes the roster. But Sloman could very well lose out to either Lirim Hajrullahu or Austin MacGinnis.