Steelers Rumors: Devin Bush fails again, why Kevin Dotson was traded, RB battle ends

Steelers Rumors: Why Kevin Dotson was traded, explained

The Steelers traded away offensive guard Kevin Dotson to the Los Angeles Rams for draft capital. The move initially confused fans, as Dotson can be relatively reliable as a depth guard, especially on a Steelers offensive line that can use all the help it can get.

However, per Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan tired of Dotson's constant injury issues -- which was no fault of his own:

"There is only so much Tomlin and the Steelers deal with injuries before cutting ties. Dotson was at that point. He got hurt in each of his first three years and was nursing a shoulder and ankle injury this preseason. To his credit, he played every snap last year as he battled through nagging injuries."

Dotson also committed 12 penalties a year ago including four false starts and four holding calls. While a solid addition for a Rams team that has some injury issues on its own offensive line, Pittsburgh believes they have the depth up front to manage the loss of Dotson, who at his best proved to be a bulldozer at right guard. At his worst, Dotson couldn't keep up with opposing defensive lineman due to injuries, putting his teammates at risk.

The Steelers signed Isaac Seumalo this offseason, as well as Nate Herbig. Dotson is in the final year of his rookie contract, so Omar Khan wanted to get what he could for the guard now.