Rob Havenstein and 10 Rams who have plenty to prove in their contract year

(8) - Alex Ward - LS

Alex Ward was one of the first players who was added to a special team's role for ST Coordinator Chase Blackburn, and he simply needs to avoid making headlines with forgettable performances to have the inside track to returning in 2026. After all, no team swaps out long snappers year after year. It's the type of role that if the player does well enough and avoids egregious mistakes, can turn into a lengthy NFL career.

As longs as they are content to sign a contract that hovers at or just above the NFL minimum.

As a long snapper, Ward is not going to show up in the box scores. And for the sake of his NFL career, he prays never to show up in a highlight reel or in the headlines. The best an NFL long snapper can hope for is anonymity. So far, Ward has accomplished that goal.

Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 240 pounds, Ward has built a solid rapport with punter Ethan Evans, who not only handles the punts from Ward, but is the place setter for kicker Joshua Karty too. Since Evans is not going anywhere, there is no reason to expect the team to shop for a long snapper. If there is nothing wrong at the long snapper position, there is no reason to try to fix it.

(7) - Justin Dedich - IOL

It's difficult to conceptualize that a guy who suited up and started multiple games at left guard for the Rams in his rookie season last yar is already in his contract year, but that is how it goes in the NFL. Dedich stepped up when the team was in dire straights, and he gave his best effort. The thing is, he was more of an emergency parachute to prevent the Rams from free fall last season. Now, he must step up even further to earn the right to return in 2025, and beyond.

The team could not have been thrilled with the need to promote Dedich to a starting role, and the fact is that multiple rookies signed with the team to become instant competition. And at least one or more has a legitimate shot of beating out Dedich in training camp, let alone the season ahead.

But I am not ready to rule out Dedich returning in 2025. And I'm not even ruling out the chance of an extension, yet.

Dedich showed a great deal of promise in preseason last year. And he was never expected to start three games for the team out of the blue. Having said that, Dedich is absolutely ready to be called to start in 2025. He experience at starting in the NFL will only serve to improve his offseason training regimen. And he will have an opportunity to learn from veteran center Coleman Shelton, who has a greater command of blocking assignments than rookie Beaux Limmer.

Dedich could surprise fans in 2025. But he has fierce competition to overcome, and he is almost certain to participate in preseason games. If he does not perform well, he may not last the 53-man roster cuts. But even if he survives, he faces an uphill battle to earn a second contract.