Los Angeles Rams trade for Steelers OL Kevin Dotson
The Los Angeles Rams are adding some depth to the offensive line heading into the 2023 season. Per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the Rams are trading to get Pittsburgh Steelers guard Kevin Dotson.
Dotson enters his fourth season in the NFL in 2023. He has played in 39 career games through his first three seasons, making 30 starts. The Steelers selected the offensive lineman in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor provided more details regarding the trade. It appears that the deal will mostly involve draft selections.
Pryor tweeted, “Steelers and Rams swap 2024 4th and 5th. Steelers get the Rams’ 4th; and Rams get the Steelers’ 5th. In 2025, Steelers get Rams’ 5th rounder, and Rams get Steelers’ 6th.”
The Rams are coming off a disappointing season in 2022, finishing the year with a 5-12 record. It came right after Matthew Stafford led Los Angeles to a Super Bowl victory just a year earlier.
Dotson spent his college days at Louisiana-Lafayette. During his time there, he earned All-Sun Belt honors three times, receiving second-team recognition in 2017 and first-team honors in 2018 and 2019.
News of the trade between the Rams and Steelers comes as the NFL preseason concludes and teams make final roster adjustments for the regular season.
Rams endured rough preseason
Yes, we know it’s the preseason … but the Los Angeles Rams didn’t look very good in any of the three contests. The team finished with an 0-3 record, getting dismantled in each game.
The Rams lost the opener to the Chargers 34-17, followed by a loss to the Raiders by the same score. Neither of those were as ugly as the preseason finale, though.
Denver eviscerated Los Angeles’ defense, cruising to a 41-0 victory to end the preseason. Again, we know these games don’t count, but it doesn’t give Rams fans much confidence that things will be better in 2023.
Perhaps the addition of Dotson can give the franchise a much-needed boost heading into the regular season. He does have plenty of experience under his belt and could prove to be a huge asset along the offensive line.
The Rams open the regular season on Sunday, Sept. 10 against the Seahawks. Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET with the game airing on FOX.