The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to make roster moves ahead of the 2023 cut-down deadline. After parting ways with nine players since the preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night, Omar Khan is getting aggressive just before the deadline for all teams to be roster compliant.
On Sunday evening, Brooke Pryor of ESPN reported that the Steelers are shipping Kevin Dotson to the Los Angeles Rams... and Pittsburgh is getting quite the return on their initial investment.
Steelers are trading OL Kevin Dotson to the Rams, sources tell ESPN.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) August 27, 2023
Trade also comes with picks swap.
Steelers and Rams swap 2024 4th and 5th. Steelers get the Rams' 4th; and Rams get the Steelers' 5th.
In 2025, Steelers get Rams' 5th rounder, and Rams get Steelers' 6th
According to the report from Pryor, the Steelers are sending the Rams Dotson, a 5th-round pick in 2024, and a 6th-round pick in 2025. In exchange, Pittsburgh will be receiving the Rams' 4th-round pick in 2024 and 5th-round pick in 2025.
On the surface, this might not seem like a lot, but this should prove to be a great trade for the Steelers for several reasons.
Steelers get a quietly good return on Kevin Dotson trade
Dotson was entering the final year of his rookie contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and after forking up money for both Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig during the 2023 offseason, Dotson's path to the field looked grim. It was likely that he would be a healthy scratch on game day, and it may have taken a pair of injuries to get him on the field for offensive snaps.
Though a couple of Day 3 pick swaps don't seem like much, there could be a wide gap between the picks that were just exchanged. Los Angeles could be one of the worst teams in the league over the next few years, so the 4th-rounder they gave the Steelers in the trade could essentially look like a late 3rd-rounder when it's all said and done. Likewise, the 5th-rounder Pittsburgh received in 2025 could end up being near the top of the 5th round.
In the opposite way, the 5th and 6th rounders the Steelers gave to the Rams could end up being later picks -- assuming Pittsburgh performs well over the next two seasons. This means that the gaps between the pick exchanges could be significant.
All things, considered, this isn't bad knowing the Steelers were very unlikely to use Dotson in a contract year anyway. Dotson being traded isn't overly surprising. We know that the Steelers had great depth at the guard position and that Dotson became expendable. For this reason, fans should be very pleased with what Omar Khan was able to pull off.
Kevin Dotson was certainly going to sign elsewhere during the 2024 free agency period, and the Pittsburgh Steelers were trying to sell why he still had some value left. This is yet another move that should get fans excited about the front office and the proactive approach this team is taking in an effort to be back to a championship.