The Los Angeles Rams were better than expected in the 2023 season thanks in part to some under-the-radar offseason additions by general manager Les Snead.
One of those additions was guard Kevin Dotson, who the Rams acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers just before the start of the season.
Dotson eventually took over as the Rams’ starting right guard and never looked back, putting together a Pro Bowl caliber season even if he didn’t ultimately make the cut.
It was a contract year for Dotson, who was a fourth-round pick of the Steelers in 2020 out of Louisiana. He picked a good time for a career year as it put him in line for a solid payday this offseason. It appears that will come with the Rams as Dotson is re-signing on a three-year, $48 million extension, per Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report:
BREAKING: The #Rams are re-signing star guard Kevin Dotson on a 3-year deal worth 48M, sources tell @BleacherReport.
That’s a big 16 APY for Dotson to solidify LA’s O-Line. pic.twitter.com/O7gdwZiv4T
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 7, 2024
The Rams would later seemingly confirm the extension with a hilarious picture of Dotson:
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) March 7, 2024
The Rams are going into the offseason with a number of roster needs, so it is good that they were able to lock up Dotson before the start of free agency.
L.A.’s offensive line was one of its strengths in 2023 and so far, they are set to bring back four of their starters in Dotson, Alaric Jackson, Steve Avila and Rob Havenstein. Starting center Coleman Shelton voided the final year of his contract and is a free agent, but the Rams have expressed a desire to bring him back as well so the team could very well have the same starting offensive line in 2024.
Continuity is important for an offensive, particularly on the line, so if they are able to bring Shelton back, that would be big for Matthew Stafford and everyone else.
Rams also re-signed Demarcus Robinson
Les Snead and the Rams front office have wasted no time bringing back key pieces from their 2023 roster as they also recently re-signed Demarcus Robinson on a one-year contract.
Robinson emerged as the Rams’ No. 3 receiver alongside Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua in the back half of 2023 and now will get an opportunity to build off that in his second season with the organization, similar to Dotson.
L.A. will still head into free agent with a healthy cap sheet, allowing for more additions in the coming weeks.
