​The Los Angeles Rams’ 53-man roster is largely set heading into training camp, but there’s still room for backups to break through on special teams. One of those players, according to Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport, is undrafted free agent running back Dean Connors.Connors was very productive in college. He racked up more than 3,822 career yards at Rice for three years and Houston for one. The 5’11”, 208-pound back compiled 2,656 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns on top of 1,166 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns over his collegiate career.Davenport was clear that Connors isn’t unseating Kyren Williams or Blake Corum on the depth chart. Instead, his best shot is carving out a role on special teams that keeps him active as the Rams’ No. 3 back — a path the Rams have used before given the franchise’s track record of finding cheap running back talent.That No. 3 job is technically currently up for grabs. Fourth-round rookie Jarquez Hunter and veteran Ronnie Rivers both sit ahead of Connors on paper, but neither has a firm grip on the role. Hunter logged just 22 special teams snaps across five games last season, limited action that leaves the door open. Rivers, by contrast, has established himself as a core special teamer, playing 91 special teams snaps to just 19 offensive snaps over 11 games and 472 special teams snaps since 2022. Jordan Waters is there, too, but was a practice squad player in 2025.For Connors, the calculus is straightforward: he doesn’t need to beat out Williams or Corum for touches. He needs to out-produce Hunter and Rivers on punt and kick coverage this preseason. Given Rivers’ modest offensive workload and Hunter’s limited special teams sample size, neither has fully locked down the job — leaving a real opening for an undrafted rookie who profiles as more complete than either projected competitor if he shows enough on teams to earn a look.This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams UDFA Dean Connors has path to roster via special teams