Which Steelers offensive linemen needs replaced the most?

What should the Steelers do with Kevin Dotson?

Kevin Dotson: 65.4 grade, 77.6 PB, 61.1 RB, 12 penalties, 4 sacks, 16 pressures

Average: 79.3 grade, 76.3 PB, 75.9 RB, 2.9 penalties, 1.8 sacks, 19.1 pressures

Kevin Dotson Cap Charge: 2.9 million, 2.7 million savings

Rounding out the trio is Dotson. Taken in the fourth round, the college tape made Dotson seem like a potential sleeper player. His rookie season backed that up, as he looked great in spot starts. He has yet to recapture that play though, as he has regressed in every season since.

Of the three names on this list, Dotson is far and away the most inconsistent. There are times when he is plowing through defenders and playing like an elite guard. Then, on the next drive, he gets burned by an interior pass rusher and struggles to even be a competent option for this team. Add in the dumb penalties (Dotson was the most penalized player of this trio) and the surprising number of sacks for a guard and it is hard to quantify his potential in 2023.

While he is only entering his fourth season, he came into the league as an older prospect and will be 27 next season. While it would be nice to see he still has room to grow as a player, he is quickly entering the prime of his career. I’m not sure how much more development will be there given his age.

A lot of Dotson’s issues lie in his technique and mental mistakes. He was never the best technician, but at times he looks like a flailing bear as opposed to setting himself and properly attacking a defender. He makes stupid mistakes as well, leading to higher numbers of sacks and penalties, something this offense can’t afford.

He gets an increase in salary due to his proven performance escalator, which sees his cap hit jump to nearly 3 million. While not bad for a capable starter, that would make him a pricy reserve if he were replaced. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Dotson moved if he can’t retain his starting position.

Of the three players, I think Dotson’s high is genuinely the highest of the three, when he is on it, he looks the part of a good player. He also has the lowest lows. Dotson is a hard player to gauge because of this, as a lot of his issues are mental as opposed to physical.