After experiencing illness, injury, Steelers guard Kevin Dotson looking for stability at end of rookie season

For someone who started 52 consecutive games in college, guard Kevin Dotson knew life would be different as a rookie in the NFL.

He didn’t expect to win a starting job immediately, not on a veteran offensive line that included a Pro Bowl player at his position.

Dotson, though, could not have predicted his opportunities to contribute to the Pittsburgh Steelers would be hindered by a bout with covid-19 in November and a shoulder injury in September.

“For me, it’s weird because how I was raised is not to sit out,” Dotson said. “I’m not going to sit out a game if I possibly could do something.”

Dotson had no recourse when he was placed on the reserve/covid-19 list in November, which forced him to be inactive against Cincinnati and Jacksonville. When he replaced an injured Matt Feiler in the first quarter and then had to leave because of his own shoulder injury, it was almost too much to bear.

“I wanted to stay in the Buffalo game, but you have to think more about your future when you’re in the NFL,” Dotson said. “It was a smart decision for me to get out of that game. I like to be able to come back fast, so I did everything I can recovery-wise to get back.”

After sitting out the rematch against the Bengals because of his shoulder injury, Dotson started at left guard in place of Feiler on Sunday against Indianapolis. And he will make his fourth NFL start this weekend when the Steelers close the regular season at Cleveland. Whether Dotson has filled in for Feiler or David DeCastro on the right side, good things seem to happen when he is in the lineup. The Steelers are 3-0 when Dotson starts.

Dotson feels more comfortable on the offensive line than he did when the NFL season started. He was coming off a knee injury that kept him from practicing for a week.

“I feel like I belong now,” Dotson said. “In the games that I’ve played, I feel like I’m on the level. Before I got drafted, I had the mindset of I didn’t know how the NFL was going to be. Once I got my first snaps in an NFL game, it solidified it in my mind. Now, I have that confidence.”

Dotson’s rookie season was put on pause when he tested positive for covid-19. He had to quarantine and spend 16 days on the reserve-covid-19 list.

“When I was sick, it got pretty bad with all the symptoms I started getting,” he said. “On top of that, having to sit in the house all day. If anybody was watching, if I had a camera in my house, they would have seen me laying in every room of my house. At one point, I was just laying in the hallway because I wanted a new scene. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t play the game, there was nothing on TV and I couldn’t do anything.”

Dotson got so stir crazy that when he began feeling better, he hopped in his car and went for a drive around Pittsburgh even though much of the city remains foreign to him.

“I just had to do something,” he said. “I couldn’t just sit there. It was horrible. … I was just driving in a direction and hoping my phone wouldn’t die so I could get back.”

Feiler is scheduled to be activated in time for the playoffs, which means Dotson could return to the bench unless coaches decide to put Feiler back at right tackle.

“If it does happen, I’ll be happy. If it doesn’t happen, I can’t do anything about it. It’s what they want. I’m going to do what is best for the team and whatever they want to do.”