March 2, 2026, 4:51 p.m. PT
The Los Angeles Rams are making sure a handful of players won’t hit free agency next week. On Monday, the team announced it has tendered three exclusive rights free agents: kicker Harrison Mevis, wide receiver Xavier Smith and lineman Justin Dedich.
All three of them were set to become free agents if the Rams hadn’t tendered them, but they will remain in Los Angeles for another year. Players tendered as exclusive rights free agents will be paid minimum contracts, so it’s a cheap way for the Rams to keep all three of them in horns for 2026. Now that they’re tendered, they cannot negotiate with other teams.
Mevis joined the Rams in the middle of last season, replacing Joshua Karty as the team’s kicker, doing an excellent job the rest of the way. He made 12 of 13 field goal attempts and all 39 PATs, going 51-for-52 on his kicks during the regular season. He was also a perfect 6-for-6 on field goals and 9-for-9 on PATs.
Smith was the Rams’ big-play receiver off the bench. He caught 18 passes for 303 yards, with a long of 51 yards. He led the team in receiving once and averaged 16.8 yards per catch. Additionally, he was the Rams’ primary punt returner, though his muffed punt in the divisional round remains the lasting memory of his season.
Dedich backed up the Rams’ interior linemen at guard, making a total of six starts in place of Steve Avila and Kevin Dotson. He’s played 29 games the last two seasons, making nine total starts.
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