Countdown to Cannons: Dotson's Contract IssueJustin Pawlowski @CommishOnlineJul 22, 2015
With 25 days to go, we countdown the days until the Bucs' 1st preseason game, and discuss a different Bucs player at length every day.Offensive linemen do not like to be noticed. The best offensive linemen in the league are the ones who never get talked about. Unfortunately for the Bucs, the spotlight will be squarely on their offensive line due to their horrific play in 2014.One player in particular will have many critical eyes zeroed in on him. Demar Dotson decided to holdout during part of the off-season in an attempt to get a new contract. With 2 years remaining on a deal he just signed two years ago, this wasn't the smartest of moves for Dotson.Of course, once fines came in to play with workouts becoming mandatory, Dotson was quick to show up.“I didn’t want to lose any money," Dotson said of his return. "It’s like $100,000 and I got some good advice that you don’t want to lose that money. I don’t have $100,000 to lose, so I wanted to keep my money. And that was the only way to keep negotiations going throughout these six weeks going into training camp.”We're a week and a half away from the beginning of training camp, and there has been no word on a new deal for the Bucs right tackle. During these past six weeks, Dotson has also made a change of the agent who represents him.Dotson is on the wrong side of 30 and not the imposing player I think he believes he is. Dotson is a solid pass protecting right tackle, who might be the Bucs' most reliable offensive lineman, but that's not saying much. As Gil Arcia pointed out here on The Blitz a few weeks back, Dotson has had his fair share of issues in both pass protection and in the run game.Dotson may end up getting a new deal from the Buccaneers, but keep a close eye on the particulars. I believe the Bucs will not get locked into Dotson for the long haul. The Bucs have already drafted four offensive linemen in the past two drafts, and that trend could continue next year. If Dotson does not have a convincingly good season in 2015, the Bucs could very well invest another high draft choice in another offensive tackle who will be the replacement for Dotson all together.
