5 forgotten about players who could earn larger roles in 2025

We've talked at length about the usual suspects who always seem to command attention from the national sports media when discussing the Los Angeles Rams and the players on the team. We all know that the team intends to trade veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp immediately. If no team expresses interest, the Rams are almost certain to release Kupp before his $7.5 million roster bonus comes due in mid-March.

Of course, there are the rapidly igniting NFL rumors burning around Matthew Stafford, and whether or not that will translate into the offense having a minor makeover, or a complete overhaul this offseason. I would love for Matthew Stafford to come back for one more run at the Lombardi Trophy, but the data points are not exactly trending in that direction. That led me to sit down, list out the pros and cons, and come up with my 10 boldest predictions for the LA Rams ever.

Even now, I hope that I'm wrong on more than one of those predictions.

But an NFL Championship takes more than a handful of headline names to make a season work. It takes a huge helping of luck, durability, strategy, and roster depth. And that applies to any team hoping to hoist a Lombardi Trophy at the end of their season. What I appreciate about the Rams roster, and the way that GM Les Snead approaches reconstructing the team each season, is that he works the roster from top to bottom to ensure that the team has the best players who make the most sense and are the best fits for what the team wants to do.

To that end, here are five forgotten players who will not be mentioned in the offseason, but who prove to play huge rules for the Rams in 2025. They are:

(5) - IOL Justin Dedich

When the LA Rams signed undrafted USC rookie interior offensive lineman Justin Dedich, my first thought was his signing added competition to the team's backup center role. But after the team faced injuries to both Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson, and a third failed attempt by IOL Logan Bruss to compete at the NFL level, Dedich became far more valuable to the team.

In 205 offensive snaps for the Rams in 2024, Dedich committed one penalty and allowed no quarterback sacks. He has a ways to go to compete for a starting role in 2025, but his performance was promising. And with his promotion to an NFL starter for multiple games, the Rams second-year offensive lineman has a solid foundation of experience to guide his second training camp. At least, he will be a solid backup. At best, he could compete for a starting role.