After clearly falling out of favor in Pittsburgh, the Steelers sent OG Kevin Dotson out west, trading him to the Los Angeles Rams right before final cutdowns. All Dotson has done since is flourish, rated as one of football’s top guards. While a change of scenery probably did him some good, the biggest change was Dotson returning home. As in moving back to right guard after the Steelers made him a left guard two years into his career.
Dotson joined OL guru Brandon Thorn for a candid interview about why Dotson is coming into his own this year. To Dotson, becoming a right guard again has been the difference.
“The main thing is really just being able to be back at right [guard],” Dotson told Thorn. “Being back at right, I kinda didn’t realize how much it made a difference for me until I got to play it again. It came back to me within a week of practice that I was like, ‘Right side is where I’m meant to be.’ Even in Pittsburgh, they say my best years were when I got to play the right. Switching to left, I didn’t feel like I did bad. But being at right, it just made sense for me to be at right. When they switched me to left, it’s something I had to learn totally new.”
Prior to coming to Pittsburgh, Dotson was a right guard his entire career. From high school to Louisiana, he manned the right side. And had plenty of success doing it, teaming up with RT Robert Hunt in college to form a powerful run-blocking duo.
After filling in at left and right guard his rookie year and impressing, Dotson became a full-time left guard in 2021 before going down with a season-ending ankle injury. He returned as the team’s starting left guard in 2022, starting all 17 games, but frustrated with inconsistent play. The talent was there, he had impressive moments, but his technique was a problem and he never looked fully comfortable with the scheme. Dotson says he had to relearn everything on the left side and playing there even caused physical issues.
“My hip flexors felt different playing on the left. Still got tighter. Things that were never an issue became an issue because my body wasn’t used to firing certain muscles,” he said. “So being able to get back to that right I felt like that made a difference for me.”
Per Pro Football Focus, Dotson ranks as the NFL’s third-best guard on the season only trailing Atlanta’s Chris Lindstrom and Denver’s Quinn Meinerz, someone else Pittsburgh seemingly had interest in but passed over to draft Kendrick Green and turn him into a full-time center. Run blocking remains his forte, Dotson fourth-best among guards, with pass protection still a weaker spot though he ranks a respectable 22nd.
Going back to the right side has made football feel natural again for Dotson.
“When I first moved to the left, my inside hand was always my left hand. So throwing my outside hand first, which is usually a no-no for an offensive lineman…you have to rewire your thinking,” he said. “You can’t go off as aggressive. You can’t throw hands as confidently.”
Factor in Pittsburgh’s constant turnover with offensive line coaches — Dotson had three in three years (and four if you count interim Chris Morgan) — and it’s not a surprise that he failed to reach his potential with the Steelers. Right after he was dealt, we wrote that the Steelers weren’t the right fit for him and that he could excel with the Rams. That’s the scenario that’s playing out.
To watch the entire 40-minute interview with Dotson, complete with film room breakdowns, subscribe to Thorn’s Substack. It’s well worth it.
