Getty Sean McVay during the Rams and Chargers preseason contest on August 13, 2022.
The “Dicker the kicker” era was short-lived with the Los Angeles Rams.
Cameron Dicker, who instantly became a fan favorite among the “Rams House” as a beloved preseason star from the Saturday, August 13 Chargers win, was among the players given the waive/no recall by the Rams on the morning of Tuesday, August 16.
By league rule, every NFL team including the Super Bowl champs must trim their rosters from 90 active players to 85 total by 4 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday. The Rams officially make that deadline nearly three hours in advance.
Dicker, though, became a popular name among Ram fans who watched their team win the preseason battle of L.A. He was among the Rams who trended online alongside Montana State teammates Daniel Hardy and Lance McCutcheon — the former impressing with his edge rush energy and the latter scoring three times including one on a two-point conversion.
Dicker is the first preseason star to part ways with the Rams. And that was following a very active preseason opener with the Rams.
How ‘Dicker the Kicker’ Performed
The former Texas Longhorn nailed all three of his point after attempts at SoFi Stadium. But he also used his powerful right leg on fourth downs — averaging a booming 52.7 yards per punt on three attempts.
While in Austin, “Dicker the kicker” became a popular nickname attached to the All-Big 12 standout. But it was this boot in one of college football’s most historic rivalries that made him revered by Longhorn fans: The 40-yarder against Red River Rival Oklahoma.
Despite going undrafted, Dicker was making an early case for playing time for the Rams per team reporter Stu Jackson:
Rams special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis said there’s “definite competition” at punter between Riley Dixon and Cameron Dicker.
The Rams’ decision to give him a waive/no recall, though, sparked numerous fan reactions on Twitter.
Fans Strongly React to Rams’ Decision
Turns out Dicker was becoming popular inside the “Rams House.”
“Dicker release makes no sense. He looked great,” said one Rams fan.
“Dicker is a surprise,” added another Rams fan.
“Not Dicker the kicker,” said a fan named Kevin Hamilton.
One more Rams fan went with this crying gif:
@RamsNFL NOT DICKER THE KICKER!!
Another used a crying face emoji regarding the Dicker decision.
Now, one playoff contender has fans clamoring to see Dicker come on board: The Dallas Cowboys, which would bring the former Austin resident back to his home state.
“Dallas Cowboys can we please bring in Dicker for a tryout? He’s the one we should have signed from the get go over [Johnathan] Garibay,” Cowboys fan Zach Young posted on Twitter.
Another Cowboys fan named Aidan Davis added on Twitter: “Dallas has one last chance to sign a starting kicker and backup punter with one roster move” in referencing Dicker.
While Dicker was waived and some Ram fans became vocal about it, there’s still this possibility: The Rams can bring back Dicker but as a practice squad member should he clear waivers.
Who Else Was Among Roster Decisions by Rams
Noted earlier on Tuesday by Heavy on Rams, the Rams’ first decision on roster cut off day was tight end Jamal Pettigrew, with Heavy NFL senior reporter Matt Lombardo confirming with Pettigrew’s agency that the 2022 UDFA was released.
Here’s who else was waived by the Rams:
Adrian Ealy: The offensive tackle who played at Dicker’s rival school Oklahoma had a previous stint with the Rams in December 2021 on the practice squad. The 6-foot-6, 321-pounder signed a reserve/future contract with the team on February 11, 2022 before being waived.
Caesar Dancy-Williams: The 22-year-old came to the Rams via going undrafted out of Wisconsin. Per Pro Football Focus, he was in on 27 coverage snaps, but he was the closest coverage defender on this Michael Bandy touchdown from Saturday:
Luis Perez: The Rams parted ways with the former Alliance of American Football (AAF) and XFL quarterback. Perez was not on the field on Saturday as Bryce Perkins handled every QB snap versus the Chargers.