Joshua Karty shines in NFL debut, making case to be Rams long term answer at kicker

Dylan Grausz | Aug 12, 2024

Sep 30, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal place kicker Joshua Karty (43) prepares to kick a field goal during the first quarter against the Oregon Ducks at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Clutch and consistent. When Stanford fans think of kicker Joshua Karty, those two words most likely are what would be used to describe the Cardinal great, who was thought of as being an automatic three points whenever he stepped on the field to kick. And now, the former college star will look for the opportunity to replicate that success in the NFL, where he played his first preseason game for the Los Angeles Rams over the weekend.

The 209th overall selection in the 2024 draft, Karty joins a Rams squad that had some trouble finding a consistent kicker last year, and he showed out big time in the team’s 13-12 preseason win over the Cowboys on Sunday, going 2-for-2 on both of his field goal attempts with a long of 39 yards, and even was responsible for scoring the game winning point, kicking the extra point that gave the Rams their 13th point which was good enough to win the game. With the Rams going through a variety of kickers last year, including former Arizona star Lucas Havrisik and former CFL standout Brett Maher, Karty hopes to silence any questions about the position and be the long-term answer at kicker in Los Angeles.

“There’s a reason we drafted him,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said postgame. “We felt so good about him coming out and he’s done nothing to change those feelings up to this point.”

Not featuring in the 2020 COVID season, Karty’s first season as Stanford’s starting kicker came in the 2021 season, where the former three-star prospect from North Carolina went a perfect 27-for-27 on extra points while going 10-for-15 (66.7%) on field goals in his debut campaign. Since then, Karty was nails, ending his college career going 72-for-73 on his PATs and 51-for-60 on his field goals and was the type of guy who people would hope to see run out there when it came to scoring points.

“Josh is the best in the country and he’ll kick for 18 years in the NFL,” Stanford head coach Troy Taylor said. “We felt like when we crossed the 50, take care of the football because you got a great shot at three points.”

Karty is one of two kickers currently on the Rams roster, the other being second year undrafted free agent Tanner Brown out of Oklahoma State, and while there will certainly be competition among them to ensure that the team rolls with a guy that they can trust, Karty’s early showing in camp thus far has helped separate him, and gives him much more of a grasp on the starting role.