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

The Los Angeles Rams may have a young and rapidly improving roster, but this is a team that has many players in the last year of their contracts. The Rams face parting ways with 31 free agents at the end of the 2025 NFL season, which is more than a third of the team's overall roster, even at the 90-man training camp strength.

Of course, some players will be released before and as the team pares down to the 53-man Rams roster. That will reduce the number of expiring contract organically. But it does serve notice to the team's front office and to fans alike that the 2025 Rams training camp hold much more to team than reordering the hierarchy. This year is the culmination of players who have everything on the line.

Competition? You'll find plenty of that in Rams OTAs, mini-camp, and training camp. For fans, its competition for starting roles, snap counts, and the opportunity to make plays on game day. But to the players themselves, this is direct competition that means win or go home. Of the 89 players currenly on the Rams roster, only 53 players will advance on the active roster for the 2025 NFL season. Another 16 players will wade into 2025 on the team's practice squad.

That translates into 20 players whose time with this team will inevitably come to a close.

The top priority for these 11 players may seem to be about winning a starting role, or to earn a lion's share of snaps on game day. That may be true for some. But the ultimate goal of every player currently on the Rams roster right now is to be one of the 53 players who is rewarded for a successful training camp and preseason by advancing into the regular season.

Nobody wants to be released.

For some, the Rams are a safe haven, the next bus stop to an NFL career that has taken that player to many NFL cities. This is simply the next opportunity to stick with an NFL team.

For other, the Rams are the only version of the NFL that the player has ever known. Whether as a player in their second year of professional football, or a player of many years of NFL experience. The Los Angeles Rams are more than an employer. This is home. They are family. And while the realization that it may all come to a final chapter some day, no player wants that conclusion to happen this year.

So, which players are fighting for their lives in terms of NFL careers? Let's take a closer look at 11 of the players who are fighting for NFL relevancy in 2025:

(11) - Nate Landman - ILB

You can consider the presence of veteran inside linebacker Nathan Landman on the team in several ways. He could be a camp body, a guy who is on the team merely to make the numbers work out well in training camp. You may view him as a depth piece, a veteran with enough experience under his belt to ensure that the Rams have ample depth in stock for the upcoming season.

You may even view him as a veteran with starting experience in the NFL at the inside linebacker position who as added to the team specifically to compete for a starting role. After all, he is a 6-foot-3, 235-pound powerhouse who three years of NFL experience, appeared in 36 games, and started 23 times.

Landman last played for the Atlanta Falcons and spearheaded the defense for HC Raheem Morris. As such, he has an inherent understanding of the Rams' defensive strategies. While Landman was not extended by the Falcons, he is a solid run-stuffer. Pro Football Focus awarded him an impressive 73.9 run defense grade in 2024. He played 544 defensive snaps and recorded 81 tackles, three forced fumbles, one deflected pass, zero tackles for a loss, while missing seven tackles.

Landman played for DC Jimmy Lake in 2024, and followed Lake to the Rams when he hired on as the team's Senior Defensive Assistant.

Initially viewed as a depth piece, I've modified my projection of Landman in this defense. Much like the Rams signing center Coleman Shelton, Landman is a veteran imported to provide direct competition for the starting role held in 2024 by undrafted ILB Omar Speights.

Will Landman with the job? If nothing else, his presence on the roster in training camp ensures that the best player gets the starting role.

(10) - A.J. Arcuri - OT

Third time is the charm? Or is it three strikes and you're out? However else you may backup offensive tackle A.J. Arcuri, one thing is certain. It's now or never for the offensive tackle out of Michigan State. Selected in Round 7 of the 2022 NFL Draft with the 261st overall pick, Arcuri was the second offensive lineman selected by the team in that draft.

The team had already parted ways with several members of the 2022 draft class, including IOL Logan Bruss, defensive end Daniel Hardy, and defensive back Russ Yeast. Arcuri was the last rookie selected in 2022, and is up against it this season.

He had a very promising preseason, but he was horrific in the regular season.

Arcuri has another shot to make things right, both for the Rams depth chart and the future of his own NFL career. But it won't be handed any gifts. He won't be anointed to a contract extension. He has to earn it, and that makes the 2025 Rams training camp vital to his plans.

Arcuri has an uphill battle with the Rams. The coaching staff already prepared Warren McClendon Jr. to assume the swing-tackle role this season. And the team signed a very intriguing rookie in Indiana OT rookie prospect Troy Wedig to develop. Time is not up for A.J. Arcuri just yet, but it's running out.

(9) - Derion Kendrick - DB

While this is the fourth NFL season for Rams defensive back Derion Kendrick, 2025 is a very important year for him for several reasons. For starters, this is the fourth and final year for Kendrick on his rookie contract, which typically means that it's now or never to show up in a big way for the team in terms of box scores and individual statistics.

But it's more than that for Kendrick. He was injured and lost for all of the 2024 NFL season. As is often the case, the team had to restock the roster to play on without him. Now that Kendrick is returning from injury, he has to prove himself to be worthy of carving out a role for himself in the secondary rotation. That will not be easy.

Kendrick has been inconsistent in his Rams track record so far, and that has frustrated fans who seek consistency and reliability in the secondary. The thing is, with the arrival of former Washington Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes, the Rams suddenly have Darious Williams, Ahkello Witherspoon, Cobie Durant, and Forbes actively competing for limited defensive snaps.

Much like Arcuri, Kendrick is not out of the running by any means. But the odds are stacked against him. Even as he is trying to return from a serious injury, the competition has escalated. Worse yet, the team knows that Kendrick is in Year 4 of a four-year contract.

Kendrick is 6-foot-0 and weighs 199 pounds. He must give the secondary excellent pass coverage, drastically improve his missed tackles from 2023 (a missed tackle rate of 18.3 percent), create turnovers and shut the door on allowing touchdown passes. It's quite the ask. But to pry an extension out of the Rams, he cannot aim for anything less.

(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.

(6) - Ahkello Witherspoon - DB

The Lost Angeles Rams have never signed veteran cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon to a multi-year contract. In fact, the Rams have signed Witherspoon to a series of three one-year contracts. But for the first time, the team has brought back Witherspoon early enough to participate in OTAs, mini-camp, and training camp. So is that a positive trend, or a negative trend?

Witherspoon is the less expensive, less talented big-bodied defensive back who fills the role that former Rams DB Jalen Ramsey had vacated. Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 195 pounds. Witherspoon is a bit of an enigma on the defense. He is well suited for pass coverage in the NFL, but tends to be a bit of a liability in run defense.

It's a great sign that the team has finally allowed Witherspoon to join the team for OTAs and training camp, and I expect the results to be significant in an improved and harmonious secondary to open the season in 2025. The Rams opened to a 1-4 start in 2024 due in part to a dysfunctional secondary that struggled to stop anyone.

But Witherspoon's presence is no automatic guarantee of a better start to the season. After all, the Rams secondary appeared to be vastly improved on paper in 2024 with the addition of veterans Darious Williams and Tre'Davious White. White proved to be a disaster, while Willaims never quite lived up to expectations. It was not until the Rams added Witherspoon weeks into last season that pass coverage started to gel.

The Rams have plenty of players at cornerback competing for playing time. Unless Witherspoon outperforms everyone, it is unlikely that the Rams will extend him again. But, never say never in the NFL. After all, Ahkello Witherspoon is participating in his first Rams training camp.

So, anything goes.

(5) - Tyler Higbee - TE

Despite only suiting up for three games in 2024, it was painfully obvious that the Rams had nobody in the tight end room that could fill Tyler Higbee's shoes. Higbee scored two touchdowns in three games, which was more than three tight ends could score in 17 games. So yes, the reasons for the Rams search for a true Tyler Higbee successor became clear.

But if rookie TE Terrance Ferguson works out (and the Rams have to invest the time, coaching, and reps to ensure that he does), how much longer will the Rams be interested in keeping a 32 year old veteran tight end on the roster?

Since the Rams are pushing ahead in 2025 without either DT Aaron Donald or WR Cooper Kupp, it is no stretch of the imagination to see the team pressing ahead in 2026 without Higbee, regardless of how well he performs this season. Knowing that, it truly behooves the team to commit to 12-personnal offensive plays far more frequently this season.

The team cannot expect rookie TE Terrance Ferguson to flip a switch and be ready to play simply because the offense is ready for his to do so.

Since 2021, Higbee's sure-handed presence on offense has dimmed. From 2018 through 2021, Higbee has averaged a catch percentage of 73.9 percent. But from 2022 through 2024, his catch percentage has plummeted to 66.8 percent. So it's not as though the team does not have good reason to get Ferguson involved in the offense quickly.

It this Higbee's last hurrah in the Rams offense? Whether yes or no, the offense has to set the foundation in place to lighten the workload on Higbee, and create new routes to gain yards and generate points form the tight end room.

Like it or not, Higbee may be in his final season with the Rams. Hopefully, it's one he can be proud of.

(4) - Kamren Curl - S

When the Rams signed Washington Commanders young defensive back Kamren Curl, the team seemed to get a huge bargain. But after his first season with the team, it appears that Curl was fairly priced. In fact, the team seemed to get better production at the safety position out of rookies Kamren Kinchens and Jaylen McCollough.

Kinchens was good, don't get me wrong. But he showed some unanticipated weaknesses as well. On the punch list of things that must improve in 2025, Curl had a missed tackle rate of 11.2 percent. He surrendered four touchdowns in pass coverage last season as well. And he only recorded 79 tackles, the lowest number of tackles of his NFL career.

I hoped for better. But I'm not ready to make any final decisions about Curl's tenure with the Rams defense. Keep in mind that throughout all the chaos and reiterations in the Rams secondary last season, Kam Curl was the newbee who was trying to make sense of it all. By the time the Rams were competing in postseason, Curl was performing as expected, as was much of the Rams secondary.

Will that cohesion, comfort, chemistry, and communication carry over into 2025? It certainly should. The Rams continue to shake up the roster each year, but the Rams secondary was relatively unscathed in offseason. And Kam Curl will be one of the defensive backs to benefit most from no changes.

Curl had to learn a new team, a new defense, and new teammates last season, even as the team threw out a new secondary on a weekly basis. That steady diet of change obliterates communication and consistency, two elements that are the bread and butter of solid pass coverage in an NFL secondary. I expect Curl to have a much better season with the Rams in 2025. Will it be enough to warrant an extension?

This team has historically not re-signed inside linebackers or safeties. Perhaps Kam Curl will be the exception to the rule. But he will need to earn it.

(3) - Rob Havenstein - RT

It's tough to realize that veteran starting right tackle Rob Havenstein is about to enter his 11th season for the Rams. But that is where he and the team find themselves right now. In 2022, Havenstein suited up and started all 17 games. But the signs of age are beginning to show through for the 33-year-old veteran. In 2023, Havenstein played just 14 games. In 2024, Havenstein played just 11 games. Should that trend continue unchecked, the Rams may see only eight or nine games out of Havenstein in 2025.

To be fair, the depth at offensive tackle is not ready to absorb nine or more starts at right tackle this year.

While some may be disappointed with the Rams depth chart at the offensive line, that has been the ongoing saga since the team hired HC Sean McVay in 2017. The team has counted on a core group of five starters to handle the workload, while investing little into backups. The team seems to prefer late picks and post-draft additions to the offensive line, and coach them up to NFL-caliber players. The Rams starting left tackle Alaric Jackson and center Coleman Shelton are two examples of starters who went undrafted.

But Rob Havenstein's dwindling durability and advancing age creates a challenge for the team in 2025. If he struggles to stay healthy this season, can Warren McClendon Jr. or K.T. Leveston step up to anchor the right side of the offensive line. Perhaps even more puzzling, if Havenstein can stay healthy all season long, with the Rams offer to bring him back as the starter for 2026?

It's something to watch for this season.

(2) - Kyren Williams - RB

While it's true that the Rams offense seemed to run entirely through Kyren Williams in 2024, it's beter for both that team and the player to ease up a bit on that throttle in 2025. Williams is not built to handle almost all of the carries to this offense. And the Rams roster is starting to create a logjam behind Williams in terms of the number and quality of players beneath him on the depth chart.

Something has to give, and give quickly.

Complicating matters even further is the fact that the Rams are actively negotiating an extension with Williams. As long as Williams' salary demands are modest, and the Rams front office is honest in communicating with Williams that the team needs to get other running backs involved in the offense this year, everything should work out.

But there is the offseason rhetoric. Then there is the season game plan. Rams fans have learned that the two are not the same. Sometimes they are not even close. So while the team has an overabundance of talent at the running back position, the team has done little to redirect the number of offensive snaps or carries away from Williams.

But with the addition of powerful speedster Jarquez Hunter joining the team, the running back room has reached critical mass. Can the Rams return to the smolderingly successful running-back-by-committee approach that was better than you realized in 2020? The offense has to change the recent pattern. And that change of workload must be communicated and be baked into Williams contrat going forward.

If the Rams are going to win games thanks to a resurging offense. the offense has to harness more running backs. If Kyren Williams is okay with that, and okay with being paid to be part of that, by all means extend him.

(1) - Quentin Lake - DB

Can the Rams young safety Quentin Lake put up a season that iks so spectacular that is forces the Rams to do something they have hesitated to do, and offer him an extension? That is the multi-million dollar question right now. After all, Lake is one of the rookes who heard his name in the 2022 NFL Draft who has found success with the team.

Despite the fact that the first Rams selection in that draft was the 104th overall pick in Round 3.

Lake was the 211th overall selection in Round 6 of the 2022 NFL Draft, and he has skyrocketed to a starting role despite his modest start in professional football.

Lake is getting plenty of face time as the spokesperson of the Rams defense and secondary in the offseason, and that is due to the fact that he is a personable player who shows up well in podcasts and interviews. Curiously, he is the lone defender who was on the football field for all but 45 Rams defensive snaps in 2024. He sat out Week 18 as the team rested all starters.

Lake was good, but not necessarily great. He is an extremely versatile player who became a defensive chess piece to be used in a myriad of roles. He played safety, slot cornerback, linebacker, edge rusher and center field on defense. Despite his universal role on defense, he does need to improve in a number of areas.

While only allowing 65.1 percent of passes thrown his way to be completed, he allowed four touchdowns in 2024. Meanwhile, he recorded 111 tackles last season, but missed 10 tackles. He generated 2.0 quarterback sacks, but did not intercept a pass, and deflected just five passes.

The Rams love Lake, and there is plenty to love. Few if any defenses find so many roles for a defensive back over the course of the season. Still, is it due to the fact that Quentin Lake is just that good? Or is the defense experimenting placing him in various roles that might lead to a fit?

Hopefully, the Rams find his ideal fit in 2025. As always, thanks for reading.

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