The Los Angeles Rams are only five games into the 2023 season and 10 offensive linemen have already taken the field. Just six of them made starts up front so it’s not as if the Rams have had the same injury issues as last season, but they’ve still had to shuffle their line more than they’d like.
Their starting lineup against the Eagles is probably the one they should stick with moving forward, though. It featured Alaric Jackson at left tackle, Steve Avila at left guard, Coleman Shelton at center, Kevin Dotson at right guard and Rob Havenstein at right tackle.
It was Dotson who replaced Joe Noteboom at right guard after the lineman injured his groin against the Colts, one of several injuries Noteboom has dealt with already this season. It remains to be seen if Noteboom will be healthy enough to play this week against Arizona, but regardless of whether he is, the Rams should stick with Dotson as their starting right guard.
In his two starts, Dotson has allowed only two pressures. He had an 80.0 pass-blocking grade against the Eagles on Sunday, per PFF, the highest of any Rams lineman. His run blocking against the Colts was excellent, ranking sixth among all linemen in the NFL with a grade of 89.3, showing he can clear running lanes for Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers.
He hasn’t been perfect by any means but the fact that he’s had one great game in run blocking and one really good performance in pass protection shows he can do a little bit of everything.
Noteboom, meanwhile, has not only struggled to stay healthy, but his pass blocking has been poor the last two seasons. He already has three games with a pass-blocking grade of 35.0 or less this season, including a 0.0 against the Bengals in Week 3. He also has just one game with a run-blocking grade of at least 60, which was a 68.4 in that same game against Cincinnati.
He hasn’t had one standout performance in either department this season and has allowed 13 total pressures on 154 pass-blocking snaps compared to Dotson’s two in 90 pass-blocking reps. According to Pro Football Focus, Dotson’s overall grade of 79.0 this season ranks third among all guards in the NFL, while Noteboom has the seventh-worst grade at his position (42.1).
PFF grades aren’t everything, but it does give you an idea of how much better Dotson has been this year. Noteboom’s frequent exits due to injury can disrupt things in-game, too – not that it’s his fault.
For the time being, the Rams should stick with what’s working and keep Dotson as their starting right guard. Noteboom may be the team’s highest-paid lineman, but he’s not one of their five best right now.
Los Angeles traded for Dotson for this exact reason, and he’s done nothing to suggest he should be replaced in the starting lineup.