Tag: Justin Dedich

Rams have big decisions to make along offensive line for Week 10

The ongoing shuffling along the offensive line continues for the Rams this week with three positions still to be sorted out

Nothing has been easy up front for the Los Angeles Rams. The offensive line has been a revolving door, with 10 different players starting at least one game this season. That’s mostly been due to injuries suffered along the O-line, but performance has also led to some changes, too.

The shuffling will continue in Week 10 now that Jonah Jackson and possibly Steve Avila will be back on the field, and with Rob Havenstein out due to an ankle injury. It’s possible the Rams will have three different starters than they had last week, but it’s something the team is working through right now.

The first decision that must be made is where to play Jackson. Throughout training camp, the Rams were planning to play him at left guard. Then just before the start of the season, they moved him to center and kept Avila at left guard. The Rams only got to see that combination for a total of 37 snaps before Avila went down, so Sean McVay is trying to figure out where each player fits best.

McVay said Jackson will get reps at left guard and center as the Rams attempt to find his best spot up front.

“We’ll give him an opportunity to be able to get some work at both,” McVay said. “Steve will be able to get some work as well. It’s good to be able to have those guys back out on the practice field. We have had a lot of moving parts on the offensive line so it’s certainly something we’re used to.”

It’s not just about what position Jackson is best at, either. Beaux Limmer has been outstanding at center all year, but he can also play left guard. So if Jackson returns but Avila doesn’t, it might be best to keep Limmer at center and start Jackson at left guard.

If both Jackson and Avila are good to go, it’ll come down to deciding where each player is most comfortable – something that seemingly stymied the coaching staff before the season.

There’s little question that Jackson and Avila give the Rams the best chance to win, but their health and limited reps could impact the final decision along the O-line.

“I think you have to be able to try to trust your gut, make an evaluation on ultimately what we think is going to be best,” McVay said. “Where are these guys at physically? Obviously, these are special players and guys that have played a lot of really good football in this league. It’s part of the evaluation. That’s what’s challenging when you have limited repetitions during the course of the week leading into the game. We’ll evaluate it and then it’s a combination of both performance-based and then how they are feeling medically.”

Then there’s the situation at right tackle. Havenstein won’t play this week but the Rams have two candidates to replace him: Warren McClendon Jr. and Joe Noteboom. Noteboom was inactive last week so it was McClendon who filled in for Havenstein after he went down, but with both players active in Week 10, the Rams have another decision to make.

“There is a good possibility for either or. We’ll work through those things,” McVay said Monday. “I thought Joe made some good progress, but I thought Warren did a nice job stepping in and he played some quality snaps for us yesterday. These are positive things that we can figure out.”

The Rams would rather not need to shuffle the offensive line on a seemingly weekly basis, but the returns of Jackson and Avila are positives for this team, and the hope is that Havenstein won’t be out long.

Rams bench LG Logan Bruss for undrafted rookie

The Rams have made a change at left guard, benching Logan Bruss for undrafted rookie Justin Dedich

The Los Angeles Rams aren’t done making changes on both offense and defense. After shaking up the secondary in Week 5, the Rams came out with a change on their offensive line Sunday.

Logan Bruss has been benched as the starting left guard in favor of undrafted rookie Justin Dedich, who was signed by the Rams this offseason out of USC. It’s Dedich’s first career start in the NFL, replacing the former third-round pick.

Bruss had started the last three games and was active for each of the first five games this season. He’s still active for this game against the Raiders but he’s not a starter anymore, it seems.

Bruss was filling in for Steve Avila, who got injured in Week 1, as well as Jonah Jackson, who got hurt in Week 2. Both players are currently on injured reserve.

Rams sign OL Justin Dedich to 53-man roster, DB Quindell Johnson to practice squad

The Rams made a couple of roster moves ahead of Sunday’s game against the 49ers

With Jonah Jackson and John Johnson III heading to injured reserve, the Los Angeles Rams have brought in some depth at both guard and safety. The Rams signed Justin Dedich from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Wednesday, also signing Quindell Johnson to the practice squad.

Dedich is a rookie who was signed as an undrafted free agent this year but he was cut before the season began. He’s been on the practice squad since but will not have an opportunity to be a member of the active roster.

Johnson was signed by the Rams as an undrafted rookie last year but was one of their final cuts. He was claimed off waivers by the Bears and was waived last month, opening the door for him to return to the Rams.

Dedich will help at guard by backing up Logan Bruss, while Johnson will likely stay on the practice squad as an emergency option behind the Rams’ starters and backup safeties.

USC’s Justin Dedich signs UDFA deal with Rams after NFL draft

Justin Dedich was not drafted, but he has a chance to show the Rams what he can do.

The USC Trojans who were not picked in the 2024 NFL draft managed to sign on with NFL teams as undrafted free agents. Justin Dedich joined that specific group of USC players when he inked a UDFA deal with the Los Angeles Rams. We see stories all the time of players who fell on draft boards and therefore did not get anything close to their ideal scenario on draft day, but who then encounter a situation which, for one reason or another, contains an element of possibility or something else which makes the situation more palatable. For Dedich, it’s the simple reality that he won’t have to relocate. He can stay in Los Angeles and make a go of it in the pursuit of an NFL career.

Dedich was a strong, high-quality offensive lineman for USC in 2022, but it was — and is — important to note that he had more and better support from his teammates that year. Andrew Vorhees and Brett Neilon in particular stabilized that line. Dedich didn’t have as good an offensive line in 2023, and that point should be noted, but it remains that Dedich did struggle last season. It’s not a surprise at all that he wasn’t drafted, but now the Rams have given him a chance to stick on an NFL roster.

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USC OL coach Josh Henson explains what new center Jonah Monheim must learn before 2024 season

We asked Josh Henson about Jonah Monheim’s progress and evolution at center, a new position for him on the USC offensive line.

USC football’s fourth practice of the spring came alive with quotes from notable people inside the program. Trojans Wire was able to ask offensive line coach Josh Henson about offensive lineman Jonah Monheim. Monheim played the entire 2023 regular season anchoring Caleb Williams’ blind side at left tackle.  According to Pro Football Focus, he would be the third-ranked returning offensive tackle in the country this season. However, Henson and the Trojans need him at center after Justin Dedich, the versatile three-year starter at guard and center, ran out of eligibility.  

Monheim played right guard and right tackle in 2022, then he was asked to move to left tackle when the line didn’t come together as expected in the offseason. Monheim was draft-eligible after his redshirt sophomore year, but he elected to return to USC to put together film for scouts by playing on the interior, where he projects as a pro.

The move will be pivotal for the Trojans as they enter their first season in the Big Ten. Monheim will have three spring ball journeys and two seasons in Lincoln Riley’s offense, so he is a great candidate to make the crucial line calls expected of the center during games.

I asked Henson for his early impressions of Monheim moving to center this spring, what his strengths are, and where he needs to improve.

“Well, his strengths are that he is extremely intelligent,” said Henson. “He picks things up so fast; he’s a very fast learner. What he’s going to adjust to, interior wise, is just playing with lower pad level, hips low, elbow in, hands inside – all the things that when you are playing close to someone, that are bigger people, snap after snap, it’s a lot more of a power game on the interior than it is a finesse game. But so far, I would give him a really good grade. I would say the first four practices … he’s trending in the right direction.”

Henson and the Trojans will need Monheim’s versatility and quick learning as he acclimates to the new position. The Trojans need this adjustment to be seamless in order for the offensive line to be ready for September. USC faces LSU in Las Vegas to open the season. The Trojans will be in Ann Arbor to face the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines on September 21.

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Departing USC football center Justin Dedich has simple advice for his successor, Jonah Monheim

Justin Dedich kept it simple when giving Jonah Monheim advice for USC’s 2024 football season.

The Trojan torch is being passed from one center to another. Justin Dedich was the center for USC in 2023. In 2024, Jonah Monheim will take over. Lincoln Riley announced the move earlier in the week, something most USC football insiders were already expecting. Now it is confirmed. Dedich did a great job for USC on the 2022 offensive line. He wasn’t as good in 2023, but he will still be remembered as part of a group which revived USC football and took the Trojans very close to the College Football Playoff.

Dedich was interviewed at the USC pro day on Wednesday. Dedich has seen Jonah Monheim excel for the Trojans. Like any other Trojan, Dedich expects Monheim to do really well for USC in 2024 and the Big Ten Conference. That isn’t what one would call a newsmaker. The fun quote from Dedich at USC pro day came when he was asked if he had any advice for his successor.

Dedich’s short and to-the-point answer: “Don’t false start.”

USC’s center position is in very good hands in 2024.

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USC center Justin Dedich explains why Lincoln Riley is an elite offensive coach

Dedich described a #USC culture defined by open communication, player empowerment, and in-the-moment teaching.

Mature human beings — the people who make good leaders — are honest and open enough to admit what they don’t know. Self-awareness is manifested in many important ways. One of them is being open enough to admit one doesn’t have all the answers to every question or problem.

This is the culture of openness Lincoln Riley has created for the USC offense, according to center Justin Dedich.

In talking to 247Sports, Dedich explained how he and his teammates turn to Riley to solve problems. It’s a culture and a process defined by player empowerment. Players are encouraged to speak and share and bring their questions to the coach so that on-site adjustments can be made during games:

“Use your basic knowledge, basic understanding of the play, of the protection, whatever it is, and then try to figure it out the best you can,” Dedich said. “Most important thing though is even if you don’t feel like you got it 100 percent down, call something. We’re all wrong, we’re all wrong together and you never know what can happen, especially with Houdini (Caleb Williams) back there.”

“Obviously the staff’s elite,” Dedich said. “Come to the sideline. Bring the image of what you had on the field to the sideline, and then you discuss it and you figure out how to do it going forward, and then you attack it.”

USC’s offense is ready to solve problems in 2023. The journey begins Saturday against San Jose State at 5 p.m. Pacific in the Coliseum.

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Justin Dedich is physical and tough, but don’t forget his high football IQ

Dedich’s brain, even more than his brawn, could give #USC that extra winning edge this season.

Another veteran USC Trojan entering the 2023 college football season is Justin Dedich. His presence on the USC front is a central reason why this group has such high expectations.

Jack Follman of SuperWest Sports has Dedich as the ninth-best offensive lineman in the Pac-12 Conference, and there is a lot to like about his game:

“Dedich is back for one more year as a veteran on the Trojans offensive line. He has started a ton of games and is a powerful blocker in the middle.”

Not only is Dedich powerful; he is extremely smart and will be hugely valuable due to his ability to make the accurate line calls and sight adjustments at the line of scrimmage in concert with Caleb Williams. Dedich’s wisdom and football IQ, in tandem with Williams, will enable USC to have — essentially — two coaches on the field, in addition to Lincoln Riley on the sidelines. This might be the most underrated aspect of USC’s offense entering the regular season, which starts on August 26 against San Jose State.

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Oregon analyst agrees that Justin Dedich not being First-Team All-Pac-12 is wrong

.@Ducks_Wire has smart, thoughtful writers.

Earlier this summer, we noted how bad a snub it was that Justin Dedich wasn’t voted to the preseason All-Pac-12 First Team.

We wrote that “This should have been an absolute slam-dunk choice for preseason All-Pac-12 First Team offensive lineman in 2023.

“Nope. Dedich was relegated to the second team, one of the more conspicuous snubs of the All-Pac-12 preseason selections.

“USC fans and insiders know this was one of the more jarring revelations from the All-Pac-12 teams, but they also know it’s a great way to crush any inclinations toward complacency or overconfidence heading into the Trojans’ last Pac-12 season.”

One Oregon analyst agrees with us.

Miles Dwyer of Ducks Wire wrote this about Justin Dedich:

“Not one USC offensive lineman was selected to the 2023 preseason first-team All-Pac-12, but the most surprising omission from that list is USC interior lineman Justin Dedich. In 2022, which was the first year in his career that Dedich started every game, PFF graded Dedich as the 7th best guard in the country after he provided elite run and pass blocking all season long. Now in 2023, Dedich will move to center, and he will bed solidified as the leader of USC’s front five. Expect big things from him, and USC’s offensive line in general this year.”

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Justin Dedich makes Wuerffel Trophy watch list

Justin Dedich gets mentioned for an award which is named after a college football legend.

Senior USC offensive lineman Justin Dedich has been named to the Wueffel Trophy watch list.

Dedich has also been named to the 2023 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team watch list and the Outland Trophy watch list.

Additionally, he was named to the Phil Steele Preseason All-Pac-12 First Team and All-America Fourth Team. He was also included on the Preseason All-Pac-12 Second Team and Athlon Sports Preseason All-Pac-12 Second Team.

Dedich started 11 games at right guard, one game at left guard, and one game at center in 2022 for the Trojans. His leadership and performance helped USC win 11 games, reach the Pac-12 Championship Game, and make a New Year’s Six bowl game.

The Wuerffel Trophy is named after Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from the University of Florida who parlayed his success on the football field into a lifetime of service. The Wuerffel Trophy embodies Danny’s commitment to being a humanitarian, while honoring student-athletes who are inspired to serve others and make positive impacts on society.

The winner of the Wuerffel Trophy will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards, live on ESPN in December.

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