The Los Angeles Rams are staring at a busy offseason, with more than two dozen contracts set to expire, and that reality hangs over the offensive line. It’s easy to see why the team may not keep all four starters together. Inside, though, Steve Avila, Coleman Shelton, and Kevin Dotson are working like a group that understands exactly what’s at stake.
And right now, they’re handling it.
Training camp has brought strong buzz around nose tackle Poona Ford, but the quieter story is the one unfolding in front of him. Interior offensive linemen rarely collect headlines when they’re doing their best work, and that suits this Rams trio just fine. Avila, Shelton, and Dotson are putting together the kind of tape that shows up on the field even if it doesn’t dominate the conversation.
That lack of noise isn’t a red flag. For offensive linemen, it’s usually the opposite.
The Rams’ interior group has been steady, physical, and effective in the eye test, and each player has given plenty of reason to trust him on his own. Together, they’ve looked even better.
Shelton has already spent his Rams tenure outlasting expectations. He beat out Brian Allen for the starting center job and previously helped Los Angeles win Super Bowl LVI as a backup.
Avila arrived as the team’s first pick in the 2023 draft and has been a blue-chip presence from the start. Dotson came over from the Pittsburgh Steelers after being sent to the bench there, and he has turned into an A-grade starter for Los Angeles.
All three are operating like players in contract years, because in this case, they are.
That matters because this group is coming off a season in which injuries to Dotson and Avila forced backups into the lineup. Two of the team’s five losses came during that stretch. Once the trio was back together, the Rams’ offensive line helped fuel the league’s top-scoring unit.
So far in camp, they’ve picked up right where they left off.
Football is back, the pads are on, and fans are looking for signs that this roster can meet the expectations around it. The clearest evidence so far is what the Rams are showing in practice. Nobody is making a big scene about the interior offensive line, and that’s exactly how Avila, Shelton, and Dotson want it.
In Other News...
Rams Camp Injuries Are Raising A Bigger Early Concern
The early days of Rams camp have been less about pushing through and more about backing off when needed, with the coaching staff taking a measured approach to keep players fresh for September. Tight end Davis Allen has been working back from a soft-tissue injury, linebacker Ernest Jones has been sidelined with soreness, offensive lineman Justin Dedich remains on the NFI list because of a hand injury, and edge rusher Byron Young is also being monitored as he manages a knee issue.
For a team trying to build momentum without overtaxing anyone, the emphasis on health is understandable, but it does leave a few important spots in a holding pattern. Allens absence in particular has thinned out a position group that benefits from every rep in camp, and the Rams are clearly trying to balance development with caution as they sort through a cluster of minor setbacks before the real work begins. [Read more 🡒]
Former Rams Cornerback Suddenly Walks Away From The NFL
A familiar name from the Rams recent past is out of the league for good, at least for now. The Washington Commanders announced that cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon is retiring from the NFL and has been placed on the reserve/retired list, ending a nine-year run that included stops with the 49ers, Steelers and Rams before he landed in Washington on a one-year deal.
For the Rams, it adds another reminder of how quickly the defensive backfield can turn over from one season to the next. Washington moved to fill the vacancy by signing veteran cornerback Fabian Moreau to its offseason roster, a straightforward roster fix that keeps Witherspoons departure from leaving a larger hole behind. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Donald Return Talk Just Changed The Stakes For Rams Camp
Aaron Donalds future has hovered over Rams camp for months, and Les Sneads latest update gave the situation a little more shape without clearing anything up. Donald retired after the 2023 season, but the Rams still sound willing to leave the door open, especially with a player whose standard is so high that any comeback would have to feel worth it on the field, not just sentimental on the sideline.
Snead said Donald is pushing his training harder as he gauges whether he can still perform at the level that made him one of the franchises defining players. The timing matters, too, because the Rams have already reshaped the roster this offseason with major additions, including Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie. If Donald is seriously weighing a return, it would add another layer to a camp that already feels very different from the one the Rams expected when the offseason began. [Read more 🡒]