Kevin Dotson has re-signed with the Los Angeles Rams. The starting right guard, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2020 NFL Draft and then traded to the Rams in 2023, signed a three-year, $48 million deal. Dotson is 27 years old. He is 6’4″ and weighs 321 pounds.
ESPN’s NFL Insider, Adam Schefter, tweeted the big news:
Rams are re-signing G Kevin Dotson to sign a three-year, $48 million deal that includes $32 million guaranteed, as @Schultz_Report also reported.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 7, 2024
Yahoo Sports News reports: “At $16 million per year, Dotson will be the eighth-highest paid guard in the NFL, tied with Joel Bitonio and Joe Thuney. Chris Lindstrom leads the market at $20.5 million.”
Dotson’s Break-Out Season in 2023
Dotson, who played his college ball for the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajus, started 14 games for the Rams in the 2023 season. He had the second -best PFF rating among 79 eligible guards in the NFL. (PFF ratings are explained below.)
As reported by NBC Los Angeles, Dotson “became one of the NFL’s top-rated guards and a pillar of the Rams’ offense last season after they acquired him from Pittsburgh in training camp.” Throughout the 2023 season, Dotson excelled as a run-blocker[,] while … committing only two penalties….” He allowed only four sacks on the season.
Thus, Dotson’s reputation is on the rise. He is beginning to receive more and more recognition, above and beyond the contract he just signed with the Rams.
Dotson is not alone in his upward trajectory. His teammates on the Rams’ offensive line are joining him in demonstrating great prowess.
The Los Angeles Rams’ Offensive Line
Here’s a look at the Rams’ starting offensive line:
- Left Tackle: Alaric Jackson
- Left Guard: Steve Avila
- Center: Coleman Shelton
- Right Guard: Kevin Dotson
- Right Tackle: Rob Havenstein
Offensive line expert, Dan Fornek (who was an offensive lineman for the University of Dayton), analyzed the strength of the Rams’ OL in a recent article:
The Rams [OL] … had very little NFL experience [coming into the 2023 season] but [was] one of the best units in the NFL. This … helped Matthew Stafford enjoy a resurgence while putting Kyren Williams on the map in the backfield. The right side of the offensive line has been especially impressive with the combination of Kevin Dotson and Rob Havenstein combining to allow just five sacks and 42 pressures on 465 pass-blocking snaps. Dotson especially has been a revelation after coming over from the Steelers. He ranks as PFF’s No. 2 overall guard in 2023.
PFF refers to Pro Football Focus, a sports analytics company that has developed an authoritative method of ranking and comparing NFL players and teams.
- Elite: 90-100
- Pro Bowler: 85-89
- Starter: 70-84
- Backup: 60-69
- Replaceable: 0-59
PFF scores/grades are based on “[e]very player’s and team’s performance, on every play, of every game, [which are] tracked throughout the entire NFL season.”
Dotson’s overall PFF rating for the 2023 is 85.2, placing him in the Pro Bowler category.
As a whole, PFF rated the 2023 Rams OL as “great“, but not elite. Only two teams’ OLs received elite ratings — the Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles’ OL will likely lose that status with the departure of Jason Kelce.
Covering the Rams’ re-signing of Dotson, the Washington Post reported as follows on March 7, 2024:
Dotson and rookie left guard Steve Avila dramatically boosted the Rams’ offense [in 2023], which improved from 25th to 11th in the NFL in yards rushing while allowing just 2.0 sacks per game of Matthew Stafford, who was sacked 3.2 times per game in 2022.
Before Avila’s rookie season with the Rams, he was a consensus All-American at TCU.
With Dotson and Avila now under contract for the next few years, the Rams have two stalwarts on the OL. They both excel in run blocking. “Whether the Rams want to run inside or out, they’re both big and athletic enough to move defenders and create big holes.”