Rams sign punter Jack Bouwmeester via international pathway exemption

The Los Angeles Rams added a punter to their roster Sunday, signing Jack Bouwmeester days after the San Francisco 49ers waived him, per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco.

Bouwmeester, 27, qualifies for the NFL’s International Player Pathway program as an Australian national, meaning the Rams can carry him without counting him against the 90-man roster limit. If he eventually lands on the practice squad, the same exemption applies there, giving Los Angeles an extra body at the position without sacrificing a spot it would otherwise need for a different role.

That gives the Rams two punters in camp, but it’s not expected to be a competition. Ethan Evans, a seventh-round pick in 2023, remains firmly entrenched as the starter. Evans punted 50 times for a 46.3-yard gross average and a 38.0 net average in 2025, dropping 20 punts inside the 20 with a long of 68 yards. He’s started every game since he was drafted.

Bouwmeester’s path to the Rams ran through three college programs. He spent time at Michigan State, Utah and Texas. Across stops, he punted 213 times for 9,338 yards, earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2023 and a second-team All-Big 12 nod in 2024. He went undrafted this spring, signed with San Francisco and was waived Aug. 12, one day before the 49ers’ preseason opener.

The Rams open the regular season against the 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, marking the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia. Bouwmeester grew up in Bendigo, roughly two hours north of Melbourne, and would face his former team in his home country if he’s still with the Rams by then.

For now, the signing reads as roster depth and insurance at a position where the Rams have had few reasons to worry. Special teams issues have dogged Sean McVay’s tenure elsewhere, but Evans’ consistency has made the punter position one of the more settled spots on the roster.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams sign punter Jack Bouwmeester via international pathway exemption