The Los Angeles Rams struck a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night to improve their offensive line depth, acquiring guard Kevin Dotson for two pick swaps in 2024 and 2025. Dotson is a candidate to start at right guard sometime this season, though it’s unclear if he’ll unseat Tremayne Anchrum Jr. there right away.
The Rams technically didn’t lose any draft picks in this deal, only moving down one round in each of the next two years. But they did take on Dotson’s remaining salary. Dotson has a base salary of $2.74 million in 2023, which will come off the Steelers’ books and go onto the Rams’ salary cap. Pittsburgh only takes on $164,704 million in dead money from his signing bonus.
With a cap number of $2.74 million, Dotson will have the ninth-biggest cap hit on the Rams this year. It’s just below Jordan Fuller’s cap hit of $2.79 million and is higher than players such as Cam Akers ($1.96 million) and Van Jefferson ($1.79 million).
It’s not a huge salary that the Rams must now pay, but it’s also not like they’re getting Dotson at the veteran minimum. It’s a sign of the confidence Los Angeles has in him to be more than just a depth piece this season.
Dotson will become a free agent in 2024, which means the Rams could net a compensatory pick in the 2025 draft if he signs a contract large enough in free agency.
