The Los Angeles Rams have been busy this offseason. They traded for Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, re-signed Kam Curl, added Jaylen Watson in free agency and drafted Ty Simpson in the first round.
But, with just a few months before the season, ESPN’s Aaron Schatz believes one more move belongs on the to-do list before training camp: locking up right guard Kevin Dotson.
The Rams’ starting guards are set to be free agents at the end of this season, and it would be a lot easier to find one new starting guard than it would be to find two. Given where the Rams are in their developmental cycle, it probably makes more sense to extend Dotson, who has better metrics than left guard Steve Avila. If the Rams are more concerned with setting up the position long term, then they should extend the 27-year-old Avila rather than the 30-year-old Dotson — or, if they extend them both, they could extend Avila for longer.
Dotson is in the final year of the three-year, $48 million deal he signed with Los Angeles in March 2024, carrying a $17.4 million cap hit in 2026 that already ranks eighth among guards in total value and seventh in average per year.
He missed the final two weeks of the regular season and the Rams’ NFC Wild Card loss to the Panthers with an ankle injury, but has otherwise been a steady presence up front. In fact, Dotson was missed so badly on the offensive line it actually confirmed the Rams’ need for him long-term.
Where Dotson lands on a new deal will likely come down to how the Rams value him relative to the position’s recent market-setters. Chris Lindstrom’s five-year, $105 million extension with the Atlanta Falcons and Robert Hunt’s five-year, $100 million deal with the Carolina Panthers set the early bar, while Trey Smith reset the position last offseason with a four-year, $94 million extension from the Kansas City Chiefs that included $70 million guaranteed. Dotson’s next contract likely lands somewhere in that range — a price the Rams may be willing to pay to keep one of their most important linemen in place through the eventual transition to Simpson under center.
However, Dotson isn’t the only extension-eligible player the Rams need to consider. Avila, Puka Nacua, Byron Young and Kobie Turner can all get new deals this offseason or next, although the Rams reportedly might not extend any of their young stars early given the money committed to Garrett, McDuffie and Stafford.
Dotson, though, would be a good exception.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams could cap off impressive offseason with 1 last move
Reporting by Oliver G., Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Oliver G., Rams Wire | USA TODAY Network
