RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesKevin Dotson landed at No. 5 and Steve Avila checked in at No. 13 on Pro Football Focus' 2026 ranking of the NFL's top 32 guards, giving the Rams one of just a handful of teams with two players in the top 15.
Dotson's case starts in the run game. Since the start of the 2023 season, his 90.9 PFF run-blocking grade ranks third among all guards, trailing only Chicago's Chris Lindstrom and Denver's Quinn Meinerz. He backed that up in pass protection last season, too, posting a 66.8 grade while allowing 22 pressures and three sacks across 17 games.
Avila's climb has been steadier. The 2023 second-round pick posted a career-high 75.0 PFF grade last season, 11th among qualified guards, and set another career mark with a 72.3 run-blocking grade. He allowed just two sacks all season, including the playoffs.
The PFF ranking arrives as something of a rebuttal to how the duo was viewed elsewhere this offseason. Neither made the top 10 of ESPN's annual survey of coaches, executives and scouts, landing only among players "also receiving votes." That snub came despite Dotson finishing with an 86.4 overall PFF grade — third-best among 81 qualified guards — and the Rams' rushing offense dropping from 4.8 yards per carry with him on the field to 4.0 without him after a Week 16 ankle injury. Avila's 76.8 grade, meanwhile, ranked ninth among qualified guards.
Sports Illustrated 's Matt Verderame took a different view, naming Dotson and Avila the NFL's third-best guard tandem and pointing to the interior line as a driving reason the Rams enter the season as Super Bowl favorites.
Both guards are playing out the final year of their contracts in 2026, setting up a significant offseason decision for Los Angeles. Given the PFF grades and the Rams' run-game splits with and without them, there is a clear argument to be made to prioritize an extension for at least one, if not both. But that likely won't come until after the 2026 season.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Kevin Dotson, Steve Avila both land in PFF's top 13 offensive guards
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