Justin Dedich injury could be more significant for the Rams than it may seem

The Los Angeles Rams return all five starting offensive linemen for 2026. But four of those starters are playing in the last year of their current contracts. The fifth starter, left tackle Alaric Jackson, faces a multi-game suspension to open the season. The entire offensive front must be all hands on deck in training camp.

That's why the injury to backup and part-time starter Justin Dedich could be significant if he has to miss extended time, hindering his preparation for the season.

Dedich wasn't going to start in place of either left guard Steve Avila or right guard Kevin Dotson, but he is almost certainly the default backup for both. With Dedich landing on Injured Reserve due to a non-football incident, the Rams may need to explore additional options to ensure adequate depth and to consume training-camp reps.

While primarily a reserve, Dedich has appeared in 29 games over the past two seasons and started in nine. That's a solid workload for the 2024 undrafted free agent. His absence creates a huge hole in LA's rotation, which is hardly filled by the addition of eighth-year veteran Blake Hance.

Rams scrambling to fill Dedich's spot during camp

Without details on his expected time of return, the Rams must now look to backfill Dedich's role. Interior offensive lineman Beaux Limmer is the obvious next man up, but he struggled last season. Dylan McMahon may be an option, but he is better suited to play center. Now there's also Hance.

Both Wyatt Bowles and newly signed veteran guard Bill Murray will compete for reps and likely see preseason action. But neither is likely to make much headway, as the Rams will ration roster slots to more versatile and experienced players. For now, Limmer, Hance, and McMahon should all be ahead of them in the competition on the interior.

Dedich started six games in 2025, helping to keep one of the league's top offensive lines intact despite injury. Four of those starts came at left guard filling in for Avila, and two at right guard to close out the season in place of Dotson.

Dedich's injury creates new challenges for the Rams to overcome. Hopefully it's not anything too serious.

As always, thanks for reading.

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