Rookie standout is a welcome complication

The Rams may have unearthed a hidden gem with guard Justin Dedich

If Justin Dedich continues to play as well as he did in the Rams win over the Vikings, the team might finally have a gluttony of interior offensive line options moving forward. The 24-year-old undrafted free agent rookie has started L.A.’s last two games at left tackle and Brandon Thorn, author of the offensive line substack “Trench Warfare”, took to X on Friday to highlight Dedich for “strong ball the last two weeks”:

The possibility that Dedich might be a gem worth starting long-term is a complication to the Rams roster build that Les Snead and Sean McVay should be thrilled to have.

Jonah Jackson, L.A.’s biggest free agent signing in the offseason, is set to return in the coming weeks after missing the last five games with a shoulder injury. Steve Avila, the Rams’ top pick a year ago, is expected to be back from knee surgery in November. And Kevin Dotson, the team’s high-paid starting right guard, has been the Rams best offensive lineman this season.

McVay won’t take a detour from starting Jackson, Avila, and Dotson for the rest of the season, as long as all three stay healthy. And because of their contracts, that’s the trio that the Rams expect to start in 2025.

The silver lining to Jackson and Avila’s injuries is that McVay has had a long look at Dedich and center Beaux Limmer and the 38-year-old head coach has to love what he’s seen. As pointed out by Brian Baldinger, offensive line coach Ryan Wendell could end up having his name called with the upper echelon of assistants for the job he’s done this season.

The Rams have too many good offensive linemen?

I heard that was not allowed.