The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t had much success with their offensive line this year. According to most metrics, they rank in the bottom-10 of the league’s offensive line units. While they allow very few sacks, that can be attributed to scheme and quarterback play more than good blocking. One bright spot has been Kevin Dotson. The rookie out of Louisiana is already proving to be a draft steal. Entering the playoffs, he needs to remain in Pittsburgh’s starting lineup at all costs.
Kevin Dotson Needs to Start in the Playoffs
Kevin Dotson has been thrust into the starting lineup multiple times this year. He had to start for David DeCastro early in the season, as DeCastro was dealing with an injury for a few weeks. Throughout the middle of the season, fans were calling for Dotson. The line was struggling and he played very well in his limited reps. There was never a switch made, though. Dotson remained on the bench, only filling in when needed or rotationally.
Things changed quickly, though, when Matt Feiler sustained an injury against the Buffalo Bills in Week 14. Dotson replaced Feiler in that game and, like the rest of the Steelers offensive line, struggled. The next day, Feiler was placed on IR, so Dotson was thrust back into the starting lineup, this time at left guard. Since then, Dotson has put together a really solid body of work over the previous three weeks. It doesn’t take much, but Dotson has clearly stood out along the Steelers offensive line. He has been the best offensive lineman on the team the past three games. An offense that has immensely struggled with consistency this year should be happy to feature Kevin Dotson on the offensive line in the playoffs.
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Status of Feiler
This is only a discussion because Matt Feiler is eligible to return from IR for Sunday night’s wildcard game. If he wasn’t able to return then, of course, there would be no discussion of playing left guard. While Feiler hasn’t yet been activated, he has participated in practice the past two days. The signs are pointing to him returning for the game, though Dotson’s performance allows the team to not feel rushed to bring Feiler back.
One option that fans have been calling for is to keep Dotson at left guard but move Feiler out to right tackle. That’s where Feiler played last year and he performed better as a tackle than a guard. Chukwuma Okorafor, the current right tackle, has struggled lately after a respectable start to his first season as a starter (he took over as a starter in Week 2, after Zach Banner tore his ACL in Week 1). While his run blocking was never solid, Okorafor was strong enough in pass protection that he wasn’t an obvious liability. His recent performances suggest that Feiler might be a better option at right tackle, though.
Unfortunately, offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner put these hopes to bed when he talked to the media on Thursday. He said that he hasn’t given any thought to Feiler playing right tackle, though he implied it wouldn’t happen unless due to injury, according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. Only time will tell who’s correct. Based on Okorafor’s performance in Week 17 against the Cleveland Browns (who Pittsburgh plays again Sunday), there’s almost no way that Feiler wouldn’t be an upgrade.
Regardless of what happens at right tackle, though, Feiler can’t replace Kevin Dotson at left guard. Dotson has clearly performed better than Feiler at that position. If Pittsburgh wants Feiler in the lineup, it needs to be at right tackle. And if they won’t do that, then he needs to remain on the bench and be ready to fill in due to injury.
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