LOS ANGELES – He arrived to training camp this year with his hair cut in the pattern of a Rams helmet, complete with blue and yellow dye.
On another day, he asked on his Instagram story which of his nearly dozen pairs of Cartier sunglasses he should wear the next day (you've seen these during his Sunday Night Football player introduction last season). Most days, he arrives to the practice field at camp via an electric scooter.
On the island of Maui earlier this summer, cameras captured him swinging a driver one-handed on the range, then proceeding to play the course's 18 holes using that club exclusively.
Yes, even on putts – much to the delight of teammates.
Nearly two years ago, he was simply trying to get settled into Los Angeles after a late-August trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Today, he personifies the team's culture.
One could make the argument no one loves being a Ram, or provider of positive vibes, more than offensive lineman Kevin Dotson.
"He's just got this enjoyment for coming out here and he's got a great vibe," head coach Sean McVay said last week. "I mean whether it's shooting jump shots on air after we score... he's got this great energy about himself. He's obviously a really productive player, but I think as he's gotten more and more comfortable… When we traded for him in the 23' season, he comes in late in the part of training camp where (he's) getting comfortable, starts to make himself and his presence felt in the Indianapolis game. And he's just gotten more and more comfortable. Guys love him. When you're around a guy that's got that kind of vibe and then there's that physical toughness, his ability to do some special things. We love 'K-Dot' and all his teammates love him as well."
Team environment reciprocated
One of the hallmarks of the culture created by McVay within the team's facility is how easily players can be their authentic selves. It's why the youthful energy is so pronounced, and why players genuinely enjoying working alongside of and being around one another, no matter if it's voluntary OTA workouts in the spring or training camp workouts in the summer.
No personality embodies that more than Dotson's.
He spoke in 2023 about how much of a difference the beautiful Southern California weather, and more importantly, playing his more natural position of right guard, made in a rejuvenating first season in Los Angeles. He became an indispensable piece to the Rams' offensive line after that Week 4 emergence against the Colts, and was consequently rewarded with a lucrative three-year contract from the team the following March.
The best example of how comfortable Dotson has truly become in L.A. came when he was mic'd up for the Rams' victory over the Patriots late last season: Jump shots on air celebration that fellow Rams offensive linemen repeated, the reactions on the field and from the sideline after a turnover caused by the defense or a touchdown scored by the offense. It also gave fans a glimpse of the spirit his teammates have gotten to know and that brings them so much joy.
"The team, man," Dotson told theRams.com, when asked why he loves being a Ram, as he stood on his electric scooter and leaned forward with his arms crossed and resting across the handlebars. "I've never been in a place where it feels so close to college in the way of the camaraderie of the team. I really love this. Like, really love it. The city, I love the weather, I love the people, I love my team, I love my teammates, I love the o-line. It feels so good to just be here. So I'm just like, 'why not give it all my energy and give it my whole and just try do the best for the guy next me, the guy across from me?' I want to work for them."
Beyond that, Dotson also attributed it to how personable Rams coaches are. He feels like he can have conversations with them about anything outside of football, and they also have an understanding of how to keep players fresh for the long-run.
"You're used to having coaches who are kind of a little too old-school in a way, not understanding rest, things for mental... not even mental health, just things that could help you in a certain day – you've been working hard for a week and a half, you give somebody a break, you give 'em something off, just to keep that mental, and that'll help them in the future," Dotson explained. "Sometimes (other coaches), they'll grind you, grind you, grind you until the end of the year. And this team, these coaches, they understand the players. Like they truly understand. These are personable coaches that you can go talk to outside of football. Like I could go talk to my coach right now about something I'm going through in life like that. That's how close I feel about it."
Dotson credits his attitude on and off the field to his father, Kelcy, and twin brother, Kenny. Kelcy raised Kevin and Kenny as a single parent for most of their upbringing having been divorced from their mom. Kelcy's ultimate dream after playing college football at Louisiana was to make it to the NFL, and when that didn't materialize, he pivoted from chasing it to providing for his two sons.
Kelcy took pride in teaching his sons the best techniques to help them improve, because he wouldn't let their little league coaches teach them "crazy techniques," he told Steelers.com's Teresa Varley in 2021. He would continue to give Kevin feedback and point out little details through Dotson's college days at Louisiana.
However, in addition to that tough coaching, he also instilled the value of treating others with respect.
"I was tough on them, I coached them, but I was tough on them, made sure they knew their daddy wasn't going to take any slack from them. I was tougher on them than other players," Kelcy told Varley. "They handled it pretty well. They knew what I expected on and off the field. In the classroom, at home and on the field. I expect them to do the right thing. I expect them to do things in a proper manner, be respectful to people. That is one of the biggest things people tell me, your kids are so respectful. I tell them I expect it and they know I expect it. They did a good job of being respectful kids."
Said Dotson last week: "I think it's just my dad and my brother. It was just me, my brother and my dad for a long time. And I think my personality really is coming from my dad, and then comes from my friends in college (at Louisiana). We all just had that energy and it carried on to the league, and we still hang out and still talk. So I love it."
An infectious personality and play style
When Dotson first arrived in Los Angeles, offensive lineman Alaric Jackson at the time said Dotson was quiet and laid back and someone who kept to himself, but would still crack jokes from time to time. Given the circumstances, though – being traded to a new team just as he was entering the final year of his rookie contract – it makes sense why Dotson would carry a somewhat-reserved demeanor as he got settled and got to know his new teammates.
Gradually showing more of his genuine personality has benefitted the Rams. Watch the way those teammates celebrate with Dotson after a touchdown or as he pulls and makes a big block, and it's easy to see how it positively impacts the rest of the roster.
"It means everything to me, because I know K-Dot," running back Kyren Williams told us on Inside Rams Camp this week. "K-Dot's a guy that's going to go out there, button them straps up, put them shoulder pads on and go to work. He has an enjoyment about him, how he goes about his work which makes him fun to be with. He's always laughing, always got a smile on his face, you never see him taking things too serious. I want to be more like K-Dot when it comes to things like that, because he knows he's the best, he knows he's a dawg, he knows he's a beast. He just goes out there and has fun while doing it. For me, it makes my job easier as a running back, because I know if I press his block, his guy's not going to get off. I just continue to keep working with him and continue to keep allowing him to be the person that he is so that he can elevate all of us."
Dotson has an inherent understanding of how contagious keeping that energy up can be. It could be a confidence-boosting comment to a teammate who needs a boost in a critical moment in a game. Or, another teammate seeing you excited, and realizing they need to get on the same level as you.
"You never want to be below the hype guy," Dotson said. "So I want to get bring that energy up for the offense. Defense always has that energy, because they're just, when they make a play, they can celebrate. Offenses aren't used to celebrating the little things, and that's kind of what I want to get us going, because it demoralizes another team, too. When a defense is getting sacks and celebrating every (play), and when an offense sees that, you get mad. If you're not a guy that can mentally stay in the game, you checking out. Offense can be the same way – five- or sixty-yard runs, we need to celebrate those, man. We need to keep that energy up the whole time."
Veteran offensive lineman Rob Havenstein has seen Dotson's growth and increased comfort first-hand starting alongside him at right tackle each of the last two seasons. What stands out about Dotson to Havenstein is how he's "unapologetically himself," like the way Dotson uses the aforementioned sunglasses to express his personality.
"That's legitimately him," Havenstein told theRams.com. "The Buffs and the Cartiers he wears – you can kind of see it on the intros, he's got the Buffs on, you're like, 'who's this fake tough guy?' But like, no, that's just legitimately him. He's showing up to dinners, 10 o'clock at night, he's got that on, he's got the buffs on. He's got different pairs. Shoot, he's got "Yu-Gi-Oh!" on one of his pairs, and he's just like, 'yeah, man, I like Yu-Gi-Oh!' You're like, man, that's awesome. He's just out there, and that's who he is.
"Like I said, he's unapologetically himself. He's got swag, he's got charisma, and he's a heck of football player."
"There's no downside to having everybody hype"
Dotson has fun on the field, but he plays with the requisite physicality, too.
It meshes well. The contagious positive attitude that goes with that effort – and the many ways he expresses that joy – has just as powerful of an impact as his blocking.
Just ask anyone in the Rams' building.
"You love to see it, because it's just, there's no downside to having everybody hype," Dotson said. "There's no downside to having everybody in a positive mood. So the more people that you can affect, the more people they affect. Now the whole team is hype. Everybody is cheering for everybody. Even though we were talking trash today (Saturday), we know that the defense gonna cheer for us when we do good, we gonna cheer for the defense when they do good. So it's all team, and just getting everybody on the same level of, this is where we are in the positive energy."
