The Los Angeles Rams made sure to re-sign Kevin Dotson before free agency, locking up their starting guard with a three-year deal worth $48 million. It comes with $32 million in guaranteed money, with his salary of $16 million making him one of the top-paid guards in the NFL.
ESPN has graded the biggest moves of free agency thus far and for the Rams’ deal with Dotson, they earned a “B” grade. Analyst Matt Miller said re-signing Dotson “was a must” with Coleman Shelton also hitting free agency.
The Rams are back to building through the draft and smart free agent signings, like this one, after years of ring chasing by acquiring pricey veterans via trades and free agency. Dotson is the type of cornerstone linemen savvy teams acquire for cheap and re-sign at market value contracts. Instead of going after an Onwenu-type player, the Rams stay in-house with an ascending veteran who proved his worth in 2023.
Dotson was the Rams’ top free agent all along and they didn’t want to let him even get to the market where he could field offers from other teams. Les Snead originally said he expected both Dotson and Shelton to test the market and see what was out there, but it seems the Rams had an offer on the table that Dotson liked.
He’ll return as the starting right guard after making 14 starts last season, giving Los Angeles quality interior linemen (with Steve Avila being the other) for the next three years.