We’ve yet to hear from Kevin Dotson after his trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Los Angeles Rams, a move made Sunday night that should be finalized today once Dotson passes his physical. Throughout the offseason, Dotson has been Pittsburgh’s best trade chip and the most logical name to be dealt. Evidently, that thought wasn’t lost on Dotson. According to now ex-teammate Broderick Jones, Dotson understood his time with the team was running out. Not only did Jones hear that, he felt it. The two were together Sunday when the news broke about the deal.
“Man, I was actually with him when he got traded, so that was the crazy part,” Jones said via freelance reporter Amanda Godsey. “He knew it was coming. It was just another opportunity that presents itself for him. At the end of the day, it is a business. He feels like if that was the best thing for him, you’ve just got to wish him the best of luck.”
That’s a reality check for someone like Jones. While college football is seeing more players transfer than ever, no one is outright traded. The NFL is a different world.
A 17-game starter a year ago, Dotson was facing an uphill battle to even be active on gameday in 2023. In free agency, the Steelers signed guards Nate Herbig and Isaac Seumalo. Seumalo became the team’s unquestioned left guard, bumping Dotson out of his starting spot while Herbig is the team’s top backup at both guard spots and could become Plan B behind center Mason Cole, too.
On a relatively cheap contract in a league starved for offensive line talent, Dotson was going to have value around the league. The Rams had a hole at right guard and Dotson should slide in as their starter. With a good final season of his rookie year, he could be in line for a pretty 2024 payday. Yesterday, there were three NFL trades and they all involved offensive linemen, the New England Patriots acquiring a pair of them in deals with the Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings.Â
For the Steelers, it now becomes a question of who benefits the most from the Dotson trade. As our Josh Carney wrote yesterday, rookie Spencer Anderson and emerging offensive lineman Dylan Cook might be the two winners. Anderson displayed his versatility throughout the summer, playing all five spots in camp while Cook has come on strong since the Friday Night Lights practice and performed well at left guard in Thursday’s preseason finale, no doubt a test run to see if he could succeed in Dotson’s spot.
Kendrick Green’s odds also weren’t hindered by the Dotson trade, though it would still be an upset for him to make the 53 over Anderson and Cook, unless the team intended to keep 10 offensive linemen.
