As Rams Put Off Extending Guards, Another Gets Paid

The Los Angeles Rams have two starting guards entering a contract year, but as general manager Les Snead mulls over what Kevin Dotson and Steve Avila are worth, the Buffalo Bills struck a four-year, $78.4 million deal with O’Cyrus Torrence. The Bills extending Torrence to a deal paying him almost $20 million per season may not seem like it matters to the Rams, but NFL contracts are like a conga line that you don’t want to be at the back of.

As the Rams wait, the price for Dotson and Avila rises.

Torrence is hardly the best guard in the NFL, and that’s actually worse news for the Rams than if he was.

The move means that a three-year starter with no Pro Bowl appearances now costs $20 million per season. Guess who else is a three-year starter with no Pro Bowl appearances.

Steve Avila.

Torrence was taken 23 picks after L.A. chose Avila out of TCU, and in a rough manner their careers are the same. Buffalo couldn’t wait any longer to make sure that they didn’t have to go out and find a different guard in 2027, so will the Rams do the same soon with Avila?

He’s the same age as Torrence and will probably command at least $20 million annually if he reaches free agency in 2027.

The problem for L.A. could just be deciding between Avila and Dotson.

Kevin Dotson is better, but older

Torrence’s deal makes him the seventh-highest paid guard in the NFL overall, but Dotson is the seventh-highest paid right guard in the NFL right now, at $16 million per season. Almost 30, Dotson’s next contract should challenge Trey Smith, at $23.5 million AAV, for the highest in the league at right guard.

LAFB Network recently highlighted Dotson’s value as a mentor at training camp:

Dotson’s work with Warren McClendon Jr. stood out. Dotson and McClendon were nearly inseparable between periods, with the veteran guard repeatedly coaching up the younger tackle. McClendon followed with encouraging reps against Stewart and a deep edge group. The pair also combined to double-team Kobie Turner, while Steve Avila kept Turner under control on another snap. At this point in camp, that communication matters almost as much as an isolated win because it shows how the offensive line is building continuity behind its established starters.

Do the Rams have enough cap space to pay both Dotson and Avila?

Well, in theory, sure. Whether or not they want to is a more important question.

It’s not clear if the Rams have good, bad, or indifferent depth at guard, but they did draft Keagen Trost in the third round to give themselves options.

Between Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner, Byron Young, and others, it won’t be easy to predict which players the Rams will keep, and that could even be true for Snead.

However, the longer he waits, the more expensive these players get. Conga.