LOS ANGELES — Kevin Dotson has never been one to sit on the sidelines for the Rams. The right guard has pushed through a lot of injuries during his three seasons with the franchise, often hobbling around the locker room before crushing down on defensive linemen on Sundays.
So to sit out the past three games with an ankle sprain, particularly last weekend’s playoff victory over the Carolina Panthers, was no small thing for Dotson.
“Even the last game really it hurt me to not be out there with my guys,” Dotson said. “Hopefully I can be here for this game and I want to be here to make an impact.”
Dotson is returning to practice this week ahead of the Rams’ divisional round game against the Chicago Bears. The Rams only held a walkthrough on Wednesday, with Dotson an estimated limited participant, but the expectation is that Thursday will be the opportunity to push the ankle and see how it can hold up.
“We take it day-to-day and we have a lot of tests that we have to go through first before we can truly assess it,” Dotson said. “You really just want to test its full capabilities.”
“We’re going to see how he goes,” head coach Sean McVay added. “He’s got a good look in his eye. I know his intentions are to be able to go play and go do his thing. And so we’re excited about that.”
Dotson injured the ankle during the first half of the Rams’ Week 16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. As Dotson was pass blocking, center Coleman Shelton rolled onto Dotson’s right leg.
Making matters worse was that Seahawks defensive lineman Derick Hall stomped down on Dotson’s calf after the play, leading to Shelton shoving him in the chest and, ultimately, a one-game suspension for Hall.
“My dog Coleman fought for me, pushed for me,” Dotson said. “If I would have known that, I probably would have stood up. … I’m past it. I’m not going to hold nothing against until I can see him and get my get back.”
The Rams have ranked fourth in estimated points added (EPA) this season in the running game with 0.021 per play and a 50.1% success rate. But those numbers have dropped to -0.009 and 46.2% without Dotson, so his presence this week against the Bears would be a boost for the Rams and their Super Bowl hopes.
“He’s a mountain of a man, he’s a beast. When he was playing this year I thought he was one of the best guards if not the best guard in the league,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “If we can get him back, obviously that would be a huge boost. His physicality, his ability to go out there and play is great but also just the energy he brings.”
“K-Dot, he brings like a swagger and an enjoyment and excitement of playing this game,” running back Kyren Williams added. “He’s living in the moment, enjoying the moment and you can just tell that when he’s out there. Started today in the walkthrough just with the little things that he does.”
INJURY REPORT
Stafford simply said “great” when asked how his sprained finger on his throwing hand felt on Wednesday, four days after injuring it in the Rams’ wild-card win against Carolina.
The quarterback said he would not wear any kind of protection on his hand for the injury against the Bears, and that he did not anticipate the weather – forecasted to be below 20 degrees with possible snow on Sunday – to be a factor in how the finger feels.
Defensive tackle Poona Ford (elbow) was estimated as a limited participant on Wednesday.
Cornerback Darious Williams was away from the team on Wednesday for the birth of his child, a baby boy. McVay said the veteran was expected back with the team this week after tending to his family.