With roster cuts looming before Tuesday’s deadline, the Los Angeles Rams are shaking things up along the offensive line before they trim down to 53 players. On Sunday night, the Rams agreed to a deal with the Steelers that will send guard Kevin Dotson to Los Angeles in a swap of Day 3 picks in 2024 and 2025.
It’s not the blockbuster trade we’re used to seeing the Rams make in the offseason, but it is a move that changes the equation on the O-line – a position group that was already facing some uncertainty and a lack of continuity among the five starters. With only two weeks until the season starts, it’s hard to imagine the Rams shuffling the line again by plugging Dotson in at guard. However, this move certainly isn’t good news for Tremayne Anchrum Jr. or Joe Noteboom, the two players who have been competing at right guard.
The Rams might view this strictly as a depth move, but more likely, they see Dotson as a future starter at right guard. With Anchrum penciled in as the starter there, Los Angeles could be looking at Dotson as not only a quality backup, but someone who could take over at some point this season.
Noteboom is the one whose future is up in the air after this trade. He’s already been relegated to a backup role despite being the team’s highest-paid linemen, but now it might be even tougher to keep him on the 53-man roster.
The Rams wouldn’t save any money by cutting Noteboom but if they can find a taker on the trade market, maybe they’ll pull the trigger on a deal to offload his bloated contract. That could explain his peculiar absence from team drills because of an undisclosed injury that Sean McVay refuses to clarify.
Logan Bruss is also a player to watch after the Dotson acquisition. He’s struggled for two straight offseasons and while he’s been moved to right tackle, the Rams didn’t rule out moving him back to guard at some point.
Dotson has started 30 games in three seasons and the Rams will pay him a base salary of $2.7 million this year, so it’s not a tiny contract that they’re acquiring. It’s significant enough to make him a future starter for the Rams.
Don’t be surprised if the next shoe to drop is Noteboom being cut or traded. This move impacts him more than anyone on the roster.
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