Former Steelers OL Trai Essex: Kevin Dotson’s Play Should Breed ‘Confidence’ in Adrian Klem

The Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly promoting assistant offensive line coach Adrian Klemm to offensive line coach.

Former Steelers offensive lineman Trai Essex says that the stellar play of rookie guard Kevin Dotson should breed confidence and optimism in Klemm’s promotion.

“The assistant OL coach often works closely with the rookies throughout the week, while the OL coach gets the starters ready for the game,” Essex tweeted Monday. “Dotson’s performance this year without training camp should give you confidence in Coach Klemm’s potential.”

The assistant OL coach often works closely with the rookies thru out the week while the OL coach gets the starters ready for the game. Dotson’s performance this year w/o training camp should give you confidence in Coach Klemm’s potential. #SteelerNation

— Trai Essex (@TraiDay79) February 1, 2021

Drafted in the fourth round out of Louisiana, Dotson had an outstanding rookie campaign for Pittsburgh, appearing in 13 games with four starts. His strong performance was recognized by Pro Football Focus, who named Dotson to their All-Rookie team last month.

Klemm takes the reigns of an aging offensive line that produced the league’s worst rushing attack in 2020, but largely protected quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, by averaging a league-best 0.8 sacks per game.