LA Rams newest P/PK Cameron Dicker is excited to compete for role

There is a lot of talk LA Rams talk about schedules, rosters, who may be added and who may be released to make room, but there is also room for introductions. The Rams are certainly quite interested in improving special teams’ play. A good field goal kicker amplifies the team’s offense by putting points on the scoreboard that may never have been there without him.

A good punter amplifies the team’s defense by putting far more real estate between the opponent’s line of scrimmage and the end zone. The Rams have their placekicking needs met by current Pro Bowler Matt Gay. Now they are hoping to secure their punting role. To do so, the LA Rams have signed veteran punter Riley Dixon.

But Dixon’s signing was sight-unseen. The LA Rams, while no doubt trusting their data analytics folks to point them in the right direction, do not rely exclusively on that method to seal their roster. The team typically adds multiple players who should be able to do a good job, put them on the practice field to compete for the role, and then assess and decide to promote the player who checks most of, if not all of, the boxes needed to start for the team.

Punter competition

And to compete for the role, the LA Rams have signed undrafted rookie placekicker/punter Cameron Dicker. While Dicker certainly is an intriguing prospect, the first question is: Will the Rams use him as a kicker or a punter, or both? We believed he will be filling a punter role with the team

And the early indications are that the Rams feel that way too.  But how does Cameron Dicker feel about the opportunity to compete in the NFL?

For that answer, we dialed up a pre-draft YouTube video where he was interviewed by a sportswriter from KVUE.  Let’s take a look (the video runs for 3:46 in duration)

It’s a Monday, so rather than dive into thick data-heavy articles, let’s just sit back and enjoy this casual interview by a very enthusiastic and somewhat young appearing Cameron Dicker. Maybe it’s just my old eyes, but he appears to be a college freshman in this one, and the fun he appears to be having is pretty uplifting.

Is this young man ready for the NFL? Of course, he is. And based on what we know about former special team players like Greg Zuerlein, Jake McQuaide, and Johnny Hekker, Dicker seems to be cut from that same bolt of cloth. Will he be able to handle the NFL pressure?

Perhaps that is the wrong question to ask. Will the NFL be able to handle the LA Rams’ new punter?