Kevin Dotson to left guard
Making a change to the starting offensive line in the middle of a season seems like a risky move – especially when your team is off to a brilliant 8-0 start. However, there are several reasons why this switch could make sense.
For starters, Dotson has been terrific when called upon earlier this season. Despite being a rookie fourth-round draft choice out of Lousiana-Lafayette, Dotson was thoroughly impressive when forced into the lineup due to injuries to both David DeCastro and Stefen Wisniewski. In his first two NFL starts, the rookie paved some massive running lanes on the ground in an effort that sparked some of Pittsburgh’s best rushing performances of the season:
In Kevin Dotson's two starts, the #Steelers have:
— Tommy Jaggi (@TommyJaggi) November 9, 2020
238 rushing yards
4 rushing touchdowns
James Conner has averaged over 5.7 yards per carry in these games. It could be because they played DEN and CLE, but interesting to note. @kdd7696
Though Dotson is probably more comfortable playing right guard, he has already exceeded early expectations, and I wouldn’t put it past him to play very well left of center. This wouldn’t mean moving Matt Feiler to the bench. There’s a plan for him yet.