The Los Angeles Rams have received high marks from Sporting News for signing Guard Jonah Jackson and re-signing Guard Kevin Dotson.
“A-” Grades For Los Angeles Rams OL Signings
The Rams’ maneuverings to build a top-notch offensive line have received positive recognition. Per the Sporting News, the Rams made straight “As”. The Rams are awarded an “A-” for signing Jonah Jackson and another “A-” for re-signing Dotson.
Dotson and Jackson both have impressive bios:
Kevin Dotson
Dotson was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2020 NFL Draft and then traded to the Rams in 2023. He started at Right Guard for the Rams. On March 7, 2024, he signed a three-year, $48 million deal to stay on with L.A. Dotson is 27 years old. He is 6’4″ and weighs 321 pounds.
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, 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.
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.
Jonah Jackson
Jackson started out his college career at Rutgers, where, in 2018, he was named honorable mention All-Big Ten. He then transferred to Ohio State for his final collegiate season in 2019. In that last year in college, he was named first-team All-Big Ten.
In the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions selected Jackson. Jackson was named to the Pro Bowl in 2021.
Jackson is 6’4″ and 311 lbs. He played in 16 games for the Lions in both 2020 and 2021. He played in 13 and 12 games respectively for the Lions in 2022 and 2023.
On March 11, 2024, Yardbarker reported:
“One of the top guards in the 2024 free agent class is coming off the market. Jonah Jackson has agreed to terms on a three-year, $51M deal with the Rams…. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. The pact includes $34M in guaranteed money.”
The #Rams have agreed to terms with G Jonah Jackson on a three-year, $51 million deal with $34 million guaranteed, sources say.
A big payday for Jackson, who will join the recently re-signed Kevin Dotson as L.A. pours big money into the middle of their offensive line. pic.twitter.com/iADLjj7a2Y
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 11, 2024
Highest Paid Guard Tandem
Crunching the numbers, Jackson and Dotson are now the highest paid “guard due in NFL history.” Thus, there will be high expectations of the Rams OL — Jackson and Dotson in particular — to keep QB Matthew Stafford upright, and to open holes for RB Kyren Williams to run through.
Offensive Line Strength Complemented by Addition of New TE Who Is Regarded as a Skilled Run-Blocker
On the same day the Rams signed Jackson, they also signed TE Colby Parkinson, bringing the Southern California native back home. Parkinson, who is 6’7″ and 251 lbs., is a well-regarded run-blocker. He played three seasons of college ball at Stanford, from 2017 through 2019. In his junior year at Stanford, he was second-team All-Pac-12 and a semi-finalist for the John Mackey award, which is awarded to the nation’s most outstanding tight end.
Thus, Parkinson should complement a potent Rams offensive line quite well.
The Rams Offensive Line Is Now Properly Regarded as “Elite”
Before the signing of Jonah Jackson, here’s how at the Rams’ starting offensive line looked:
- 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 that version 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.”
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 in 2024 with the departure of Jason Kelce. And, now that Jonah Jackson has left Detroit for L.A., the Rams may be in the running for the preeminent offensive line in the league!
Jonah Jackson is likely to slide into Avila’s Guard slot, and Avila will likely move to Center. That should prove to be a smooth transition for Avila, who played center during his All-American collegiate career at TCU. Jonah Jackson also played the Center position while at Rutgers. So, the Rams will have a bit of flexibility in terms of where exactly they place the pieces on their talented offensive line.