Rams already dealing with injury concerns where they can least afford it

The Los Angeles Rams announced Sunday that they have placed guard Justin Dedich on the Non-Football Injured Reserve list to begin training camp. While he will be eligible to return at any time ahead of the 53-man roster cutoff date, it's just one more concern to add to mounting uncertainty on the offensive line.

The Rams also moved undrafted rookie cornerback Al'Zillion Hamilton the PUP list.

The biggest question is, of course, whether and how long left tackle Alaric Jackson will be suspended. At tackle, in particular, the Rams have precious little depth. Will rookie Keagen Trost be ready to assume a starting role if Jackson misses time? 

Will right tackle Warren McClendon need to slide over to the left, where he has been less effective, in order to allow Trost to play on the right side as he did in college?

On the interior, Dedich's injury will be a significant blow to the depth chart if it causes him to miss real games. Dedich appeared in 16 contests last season, started six, and is the team's main backup on the interior.

Dedich injury could further jeopardize Rams' depth

Aside from Dedich, the Rams also have Beaux Limmer, who started at center as a rookie but barely played last season with the return of veteran Coleman Shelton in free agency. After that, the interior depth chart lands on Dylan McMahon, who spent all of 2025 on the practice squad. 

Dedich's injury could, of course, be resolved long before any of it matters. That would obviously be ideal. If he is not activated by the roster cutdown deadline, he will have to miss at least the first six weeks of the season. The Rams can't really afford that. 

Dedich, a third-year former undrafted free agent, played nearly 500 snaps last season filling in for guards Kevin Dotson and Steve Avila, who both missed two games. Especially effective in run-blocking, he earned a 62.1 overall PFF grade, which puts him 41st out of 81 qualified guards. He has undeniable value as a backup and fringe starter. 

The Rams need all the depth they can get. Even without Jackson's situation, they were a bit thin on o-line depth to begin with. Now the injury to Dedich - details have not been disclosed other than its designation as a Non-Football incident - could jeopardize depth on the interior as well. 

Hopefully, it's something he can return from later during training camp or in the preseason, giving him time to shake off any rust before putting on the pads in the regular season.

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