Punter among Rams' 17 undrafted signings

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 Allpro 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.

— Kevin Modesti

Chargers sign Callahan for depth at cornerback

The Chargers were unable to withstand the waves of injuries that hit the secondary last season, but they might have enough insurance for the upcoming season.

The team announced that it signed cornerback Bryce Callahan, the former standout for the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos. Callahan will provide depth at cornerback, but he’s also familiar with Chargers coach Brandon Staley and his two-high safety scheme.

Staley coached the outside linebackers when Callahan made plays for Vic Fangio, the former Bears defensive coordinator and Broncos head coach. Callahan has played in 66 career games with 45 starts.

Callahan, 30, could be a vital rotational player for the Chargers, but he’ll need to prove that he can stay healthy. Callahan missed all of the 2019 season with the Broncos because of injury and ended the past two seasons on injured reserve.

Callahan, a seven-year veteran, hasn’t played more than 13 games in a season and only appeared in 21 games during his three-year stint in Denver. The 2015 undrafted free agent played his first four seasons in Chicago.

The Chargers were arguably the worst defense on third down last year partly because the secondary dealt with injuries throughout the 2021 season. The Chargers addressed that by signing top freeagent cornerback J.C. Jackson and drafting safety JT Woods in the third round. Last year, the Chargers relied heavily on star safety Derwin James to cover and that took away from his impact plays near the line of scrimmage.

Now the Chargers have insurance, but they have created a logjam at cornerback. Jackson will be the team’s No. 1 outside cornerback, but the other cornerback roles are unclear heading into training camp. Asante Samuel Jr., last year’s rookie standout, will likely contribute as a versatile outside-inside cornerback. Michael Davis, who struggled as the team’s No. 1 outside cornerback last year, could be competing with Callahan for snaps. Training-camp competition is a good sign for the Chargers’ secondary after what occurred last season, but they’ll need Callahan to stay healthy.

— Gilbert Manzano

Tampa Bay, Seattle to play first game in Germany

The first regular-season NFL game in Germany will be between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks at the home of soccer club Bayern Munich.

The game will take place at the Allianz Arena on Nov. 13, the NFL said. Frankfurt will also be staging a regular-season game in Germany during the next four years.

Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady could become the first quarterback to start a game in three foreign countries. He won two games with the New England Patriots in London and another in Mexico City.

The schedule for the three NFL games in London next season was also announced, with the Green Bay Packers becoming the final team to play in Europe.

The Packers will take on the New York Giants on Oct. 9 at the home of Premier League soccer team Tottenham, a week after the Minnesota Vikings play the New Orleans Saints at the same stadium.

On Oct. 30, Wembley Stadium will host the Denver Broncos against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who played games there for seven straight seasons until 2019 before playing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last year.