Rams FA discounts prove players believe in team in 2024

Dotson's deal gets done

RG Kevin Dotson (3 years, $48 million) - Perhaps the top priority of the 2024 offseason was extending Kevin Dotson. While he was inserted into the team's starting offensive line after Week 3, he quickly settled in at the position, and claimed it as his own. In fact, he was the best offensive lineman on the team in 2023.

The pressure was on to resign veteran interior offensive lineman Kevin Dotson after his 2023 put his run blocking and pass blocking on center stage for the entire NFL to see. He is not a player who seeks the spotlight or a hot microphone to tell you how good he is. Instead, he suits up, steps onto a football field, and looks for the next defender to block.

We all understood that the team wanted to become more physical on the offensive line of scrimmage. While the team drafted interior offensive lineman Steve Avila as the first step toward that new direction, Dotson was clear and undeniable evidence that the team was committed to that goal.

Much like Austin Corbett before him, Dotson's appearance with the Rams was predicated on injury. In this case, second-year interior offensive lineman Logan Bruss was still struggling to return to football health after suffering a devastating injury in his rookie season. Without Bruss, the team needed depth at guard. The Pittsburgh Steelers had benched Dotson as a backup, the Rams traded for him, and the rest was history.

But how well did the Rams front office bargain? Well, he was one of the top free agent guards who almost made it to the 2024 NFL Free Agency market. But he signed at an average of $4 million less per year than Miami Dolphins offensive guard Robert Hunt. That is saying something.

Great value