Rams News: Excited to play indoors with Kevin Dotson, Jonah Jackson, Steve Avila
After a successful 2023 season, the Los Angeles Rams have decided to strengthen the interior of their offensive line.
The first domino occurred when the Rams gave Kevin Dotson a three-year contract to stay with the team. However, Los Angeles then outdid itself by signing former Detroit Lions cornerback Jonah Jackson to a three-year deal, giving them more experience and talent at the interior.
Jackson’s addition means Steve Avila will move to center, but he has experience playing at TCU. With Dotson, Jackson and Avila out, the Rams will have arguably one of the best offensive lines in the league.
Dotson hasn’t had much time to get to know Jackson, but he thinks he’ll get along well with Avila. “I’ve never actually met Jonah, but I know him and I know how good he is,” Dotson said. “I know it will only strengthen our offensive line, and I think Steve will be able to adapt and learn from that position.”
Dotson also talked about how important it is for Los Angeles to maintain continuity on the offensive line. “It’s always good to be in the same group, or at least close to that same group, because the more of the same guys you have, the better you can play and the more confident you can be with the person next to you.” , so we can all have that mindset even more than last year. That’s one of the best things about the offensive line, its continuity.
Outside of the interior, Alaric Jackson and Rob Havenstein are expected to return to starting left tackle and right tackle duties, respectively, for the Rams. Head coach Sean McVay emphasized the fitness and strength of his offensive line last season, and that should continue into the 2024 season.
Keeping the offensive line intact would also give Matthew Stafford more peace of mind knowing he has solid pass protection up front. Overall, the Rams have the makings of some noise late this year.
Sean McVay explains why the Rams signed John Jackson and put Steve Avila under center.
McVay said the Rams’ original plan was to have Avila at left guard, but re-signing Dotson and bringing in Jackson made more sense for the offense.
Leave a Reply