The best sign of a good offensive line is usually how little anyone has to say about it.
The Los Angeles Rams’ two starting guards earned recognition anyway.
Kevin Dotson and Steve Avila both appeared in the “also receiving votes” section of ESPN’s annual survey of NFL executives, coaches and scouts ranking the league’s top interior offensive linemen.
Neither cracked the top 10 or the honorable-mention group.
Their inclusion still placed both among the 22 guards and centers recognized by voters, giving the Rams another measure of how strong their offensive foundation became during the 2025 season.
But the survey result also carries a larger question into 2026.
Dotson and Avila are entering the final years of their contracts, and another formidable season could make keeping the pairing together considerably more expensive.
Kevin Dotson Had a Case for Much More
Dotson landing outside ESPN’s top 10 may be the more surprising part of the survey.
PFF ranked him third among all guards in 2025 with a career-best 87.3 overall grade. His 90.3 run-blocking grade also ranked third at the position, trailing only Quinn Meinerz and Chris Lindstrom.
Dotson also allowed pressure on 3.8% of his pass-blocking snaps, the 12th-best rate among guards.
His PFF profile suggests a player who belonged deeper in the discussion than the final collection of names receiving votes.
Avila’s recognition was also supported by a career year.
PFF ranked Avila ninth among guards with a 75.0 overall grade. He allowed a 3.3% pressure rate and earned a 72.3 run-blocking grade, continuing the progress the Rams expected when they selected him in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Meanwhile, the offensive line as a whole flourished.
FTN ranked the Los Angeles offensive line first in adjusted line yards and second in both pressure rate allowed and clean-pocket rate in 2025.
Matthew Stafford turned that protection into his first Associated Press NFL MVP award after leading the league with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdown passes.
The blockers rarely received the same attention as the quarterback, but ESPN’s voters supplied some of it.
Rams Face Decisions on Both Guards
The recognition comes at a useful time for both players.
Dotson signed a three-year, $48 million contract with the Rams in 2024 after reviving his career following a trade from Pittsburgh. That agreement runs through the 2026 season, placing one of the league’s highest-graded guards within a year of another trip to free agency.
Avila is approaching the same point on his rookie contract.
He told the Rams’ website in April that he was “hoping to get” an extension, though he said his offseason focus remained on football and strengthening relationships within the building.
The Rams have reasons to preserve the pairing.
Dotson supplies the power on the right side. Avila has settled into left guard and delivered the strongest season of his career.
Together, they give Sean McVay the interior strength to protect an aging quarterback and keep the running game from becoming an afterthought.
There is also a financial limit to continuity.
Productive guards have become expensive, and Los Angeles has other contracts to address across a roster built to contend immediately.
For now, the ESPN survey confirmed what the offense demonstrated throughout 2025.
Los Angeles has two guards respected around the league, and both are entering a season that could determine whether they remain together beyond it.
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