Rams do a ton to reinforce their offensive line with Kevin Dotson, Jonah Jackson deals

The Rams re-signed guard Kevin Dotson and acquired guard Jonah Jackson in moves that tell you all about Sean McVay’s state of mind.

The Los Angeles Rams have the wherewithal to put an explosive offense on the field, and they’ve done a lot to keep Matthew Stafford healthy and throwing all those deep balls. On March 7, they re-signed guard Kevin Dotson to a new three-year, $48 million contract, and on Monday, they agreed to terms with former Detroit Lions guard Jonah Jackson.

Not only does this set the Rams up with a dominant guard tandem; it also allows second-year man Steve Avila to move from left guard to center. Avila played 1,076 snaps at center for TCU from 2019 through 2022.

As for Jackson, the 2020 third-round pick out of Ohio State allowed two sacks and 27 total pressures on 480 pass-blocking snaps. Wrist and knee injuries gave Jackson a bit of an abbreviated season, but when he was on the field, he was on point far more often than not — not only as a pass-blocker, but as a stand-alone run-blocker and puller in Detroit’s highly complex run game. The Rams have moved a bit from their formerly preferred inside/outside zone to more gap concepts of late, and Jackson is a nice fit.

ESPN gives Rams a ‘B’ grade for Kevin Dotson extension

ESPN gave the Rams a ‘B’ for their deal with Kevin Dotson, which is worth $48 million for three years.

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.

How much cap space do Rams have left after signing Kevin Dotson?

Even after giving Kevin Dotson an extension, the Rams have plenty of money left to spend in free agency

It’s been a strong start to the offseason for the Los Angeles Rams, who have already signed Demarcus Robinson and Kevin Dotson to contract extensions before free agency even begins. With as much cap space as they began the offseason with, they had the flexibility to not only sign their own free agents, but also go after some of the big fish in the pond.

Even after giving Dotson a three-year deal worth $48 million, the Rams are flush with cap space. According to Over The Cap, they have $29 million left to spend this year, which accounts for Dotson’s $12.67 million cap hit in 2024.

That’s plenty of room to still sign players such as Coleman Shelton, Ahkello Witherspoon, Jordan Fuller, Alaric Jackson and others. Plus, with the way the Rams can structure contracts, they have the ability to backload contracts if they so choose, keeping a player’s cap hit lower in 2024.

There’s also the possibility of restructuring the contract of Matthew Stafford, which would open up another $19.86 million in cap room. Needless to say, the Rams have a lot of flexibility this spring as they look to make a push into Super Bowl contention.

Full breakdown of Kevin Dotson’s $48M contract with Rams

Details of Kevin Dotson’s $48 million deal have emerged, including his cap hits, salaries and a potential out for the Rams

Before free agency begins next week, the Los Angeles Rams took care of a big piece of business. They agreed to a three-year extension with guard Kevin Dotson on Thursday, their top free agent of 2024. It’s a contract worth $48 million, including $32 million guaranteed, making it a significant raise for the former fourth-round pick.

On Friday, details of Dotson’s contract emerged, with Over The Cap sharing a full breakdown of the three-year pact. According to Over The Cap, Dotson got $24 million fully guaranteed at signing, which includes a $4.25 million signing bonus. His cap hits in each of the next three years are as follows.

  • 2024: $12.667 million
  • 2025: $17.916 million
  • 2026: $17.416 million

He has base salaries of $7 million next year and $8 million in each of the final two years. If Dotson is on the roster on the third day of the new league year in 2025, his salary of $8 million will become guaranteed. If he’s on the roster on the third day of the 2026 league year, he’ll get an $8 million roster bonus.

As for a potential out for the Rams, that comes before the 2026 season. If things don’t work out and they want to cut Dotson before his roster bonus hits in March of 2026, they can release him and save $16 million, taking on only $1.416 million in dead money.

So essentially, it’s a two-year deal that can turn into a three-year deal if the Rams want to keep him for all three seasons. It’s a smart deal for Los Angeles, especially with the salary cap ballooning the way it has in 2024.

Why the Rams paying up to keep Kevin Dotson was the smart thing to do

The Rams are paying a high price to keep Kevin Dotson, but it’s the smart thing to do

The Los Angeles Rams did not pay a lot to acquire Kevin Dotson last summer. They moved down a round in each of the next two drafts, going from the fourth to the fifth in 2024 and fifth to the sixth in 2025.

They are paying a high price to keep Dotson, however.

On Thursday, the Rams and Dotson agreed to a three-year extension worth $48 million. It includes $32 million guaranteed. At $16 million per year, Dotson will be the eighth-highest paid guard in the NFL, tied with Joel Bitonio and Joe Thuney. Chris Lindstrom leads the market at $20.5 million.

What makes signing Dotson to such a large contract somewhat risky is the fact that he’s truly only had one great season in the NFL, and it was last season. He was never one of the better guards with the Steelers, finishing with an overall grade between 64.5 and 66.2 in each of his first three seasons, according to Pro Football Focus.

With the Rams last year, his grade spiked to 85.2 despite his pass-blocking grade sinking to a career-worst 68.3. He improved dramatically as a run blocker, leading all guards with a grade of 88.8 in that department, which helped him finish with the second-best overall grade of any player at his position.

Despite the risk of paying for one standout season, it was worth it for the Rams. Dotson completely transformed the offensive line when he stepped in as the starter in Week 4, replacing Joe Noteboom. He was physical in the run game and effective in the passing game, allowing more than two pressures in only one game all year (Week 14 vs. Baltimore).

The Rams deployed more of a gap scheme in the running game, which fit Dotson perfectly. He was athletic enough to pull and he often held his blocks long enough to create big running lanes for Kyren Williams. That’s not something Noteboom did enough in his brief time as a guard, but Dotson excelled in the Rams’ scheme.

With Dotson and Steve Avila locked in for the next three years, the Rams have two anchors along their offensive line. They can help mask any potential struggles at center, and whether the Rams want to run inside or out, they’re both big and athletic enough to move defenders and create big holes.

Signing Dotson before free agency was the smart thing to do, even if it was expensive.

Rams signing Kevin Dotson to 3-year, $48M extension

The Rams are keeping their top free agent, Kevin Dotson, by signing him to a three-year deal worth $48 million

The Los Angeles Rams’ top free agent this offseason was undoubtedly Kevin Dotson, but he’s not going anywhere. As first reported by Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, the Rams are retaining Dotson by signing him to a multi-year extension.

The deal is for three years and worth a total of $48 million, paying him $16 million per year. That’s a good payday for Dotson, who was excellent in his first season with the Rams last year.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the deal comes with $32 million guaranteed, so he’ll become one of the top-paid guards in the NFL with this contract.

He started 14 games for the Rams last season after being acquired in a trade with the Steelers, giving him a chance to prove himself as a full-time starter at guard in Los Angeles. He took full advantage and has cashed in as a free agent for the first time.

Panthers named ‘perfect free-agent match’ for breakout guard

A breakout performer in 2023, G Kevin Dotson could be of interest to the Panthers in free agency.

The Carolina Panthers are reportedly on the lookout for some interior offensive line help this offseason. If so, here’s a name to keep an eye on.

Pro Football Focus contributor Dalton Wasserman recently rolled out 32 “perfect free-agent matches” for this spring, hooking up each team with their best possible (and plausible) signing. For Carolina, he rings up guard Kevin Dotson, who could help solidify the thin trenches in front of quarterback Bryce Young.

Wasserman writes:

Carolina’s guards ranked last in the NFL in overall grade in 2023, so signing Los Angeles’ Kevin Dotson would be a massive move. Dotson had a tremendous breakout year, ranking second in the NFL in overall and run-blocking grades while posting a respectable 66.8 pass-blocking grade.

Young, who was sacked 62 times, really missed the likes of Brady Christensen and Austin Corbett throughout the course of his rough rookie campaign. The two usual starters at left and right guard missed a combined 29 games in 2023.

By season’s end, the Panthers started six different players at left guard and seven different players at right guard.

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Top 5 offensive guard free agent options for Raiders

5 Guards set to hit free agency who could be just what Raiders need

The Raiders need at guard is two-fold. As in they are going to need two of them. With it increasingly appearing as if the Raiders will let center Andre James leave in free agency, that could signal they will finally be moving Dylan Parham to center, leaving both guard spots in need of a new starter.

It’s said to be a strong class along the offensive line, but in the interest of not using all their picks to fill the OL (they need a tackle too), they would do well to try and get a starter in free agency first and possibly an insurance plan as a potential second starter in case the draft doesn’t fall their way.

These are the top five options to fill those roles.

Two Rams make Touchdown Wire’s top 101 free agents of 2024

Two Rams players made Touchdown Wire’s list of the 101 best free agents of 2024

The Los Angeles Rams’ free-agent class isn’t the strongest this year, certainly not in the realm of some past groups that featured star players hitting the market. There’s no question their top pending free agent is Kevin Dotson, while Ahkello Witherspoon, Jordan Fuller and Demarcus Robinson are also players the Rams would probably like to re-sign.

Touchdown Wire released its rankings of the top 101 free agents for 2024 and two Rams made the list: Dotson at No. 32 and Fuller at No. 85.

They were both key starters for Los Angeles last season and should have decent markets if they do hit free agency, but the Rams would like to retain them – Dotson for his dominance at guard and Fuller for his leadership in the secondary.

Dotson earned an overall grade of 85.2 from Pro Football Focus last season and Fuller’s grade was 67.9, including a run-defense mark of 75.0. Of course, Dotson is going to be more difficult for the Rams to keep because of how coveted he will be, but with about $46 million in cap space, they’ll have the funds to make it happen if they’d like.

With franchise tag window now open, don’t expect Rams to use it

The franchise tag window is open until March 5, but the Rams are highly unlikely to use it on any free agents

As of Tuesday, Feb. 20, teams can begin using the franchise or transition tag. They’re allowed to tag one designated pending free agent to retain for a set amount in 2024, so long as the player obliges and signs the tender to play on a one-year contract.

Like just about every other team in the NFL, the Rams have used the franchise tag in the past, but they haven’t done so since 2018 when they tagged Lamarcus Joyner. It’s not that they’re against using the franchise tag. It’s just that they haven’t exactly had a pending free agent worth using the tag on, given the high one-year cost that comes with it.

Looking at the team’s group of pending free agents in 2024, no one should expect the Rams to use the tag this offseason. In all likelihood, it’ll be their sixth consecutive year without using the tag.

Their top free agent is guard Kevin Dotson, who they acquired in a trade with the Steelers last offseason. As badly as the Rams would like to re-sign Dotson and keep him in Los Angeles, they won’t be willing to pay him the $19.885 million that would come with tagging him. That’s simply too expensive for a guard, with only two guards in the NFL making more than that.

Ahkello Witherspoon, Jordan Fuller and John Johnson are among the Rams’ other pending free agents, too, but none of the three would be worth the high cost of the franchise tag. There’s no chance the Rams would tag any of them.

With no viable candidates for the tag, it’s almost certain that the Rams will pass on using it. They’ll either let their free agents hit the market or sign them to new contracts in order to keep them. The tag won’t be a realistic option for Los Angeles this offseason.