Shocked? LA Rams make a surprising trade for this Steelers player. But why?

Why did the Pittsburgh Steelers do this trade?

The Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023, much like the Cleveland Browns in 2019, are blessed with the curse of riches. Truth be told, the Steelers started Kevin Dotson in all 17 games in 2022, but were simply less than impressed with his inconsistent play. To many Steelers fans and bloggers, Kevin Dotson was in need of a change of address.

In reality, Dotson was penciled in early to back up Pittsburgh Steelers left guard Isaac Seumalo. But having started all games last season, he was clearly demoted this year. And some Steelers sources contend that they envisioned a Dotson trade as long ago as the 2023 NFL Draft.

And in this case, the source named the LA Rams as the obvious destination.

So why now?

With the need to trim rosters down to the 53-man limit, the incentive for the Pittsburgh Steelers to do this deal now is quite obvious. By trading an offensive lineman now, they have created one more spot to save a promising player on their roster this season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are confident in their offensive line starters, had an ample supply and pipeline of talent ensure a healthy crop of young talented offensive linemen to develop for later, and risked losing Dotson outright if they tried to be clever and cut Dotson now, with the intention of signing him to their 16-man practice squad later.