The Rams announced on Wednesday that they have signed 17 undrafted free agents, including a Texas placekicker who became an All-Big 12 punter as a senior.

Cameron Dicker joins a competition with former New York Giant Riley Dixon to replace the released Johnny Hekker as the Rams’ punter, and he becomes the second kicker behind Matt Gay on the offseason roster.

Along with the Rams’ eight draft picks last week, the undrafted players will report to rookie minicamp on May 13 in Thousand Oaks. Twelve of the 17 are defensive players. Many are from smaller colleges.

They are: Dicker; wide receiver Lance McCutcheon (Montana State); tight ends Jamal Pettigrew (McNeese State) and Roger Carter (Georgia State); offensive lineman Jack Snyder (San Jose State); interior defensive linemen Dion Novil (North Texas) and Elijah Garcia (Rice); outside linebackers Benton Whitley (Holy Cross), Andrzej Hughes-Murray (Oregon State), Keir Thomas (Florida State) and Brayden Thomas (North Dakota State); inside linebacker Jake Hummel (Iowa State); cornerbacks T.J. Carter (TCU), Caesar Dancy-Williams (Wisconsin) and Duron Lowe (Liberty), and safeties Dan Isom (Washington State) and Jairon McVea (Baylor).

Undrafted rookies face uphill battles to make the team. But the Rams have a few each year who end up making impacts. Several played roles during the Rams’ Super Bowl-winning season, among them Hekker, the four-time All-Pro who joined the team this way in 2012; tight end Kendall Blanton and linebacker Troy Reeder (now with the Chargers), both signed in 2019; and offensive lineman Alaric Jackson, signed in 2021.

NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter named Whitley as the fifth-best edge rusher available as a rookie free agent, and he ranked Dicker as the second-best specialist available.

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