JAHAN DOTSON TRADE: EAGLES ACQUIRE COMMANDERS WIDE RECEIVER
After much speculation about the Philadelphia Eagles making a trade for a third wide receiver, Howie Roseman finally pulled the trigger ... in the form a rare in-division deal. The team officially announced the following exchange with their NFC East rival Washington Commanders on Thursday morning:
EAGLES RECEIVE — Jahan Dotson, 2025 fifth-round pick
COMMANDERS RECEIVE — 2025 third-round pick, 2025 seventh-round pick, 2025 seventh-round pick
Dotson is a familiar name not only because he’s played against the Eagles but also due to his local ties. The Newark, New Jersey native attended high school in Nazareth, Pennsylvania (90 minutes north of Philly) and played college football for Penn State.
Dotson, who turned 24 in March, was originally selected by the Commanders with a first-round pick (No. 16 overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft. Here’s what his career stats look like so far, via Pro Football Reference:
Not terrible but hardly amazing.
Of course, it’s only fair to point out that the Commanders haven’t exactly boasted great quarterback play over the past two years. Dotson has been targeted by the likes of Sam Howell, Jacoby Brissett, Taylor Heinicke, and old friend Carson Wentz. None of those players are still with the franchise as the Commanders pivot to the Jayden Daniels era.
On that note, it’s curious that Washington is trading away a player who would theoretically help their rookie passer. It’s not like the Commanders appear to be absolutely loaded with receiver talent outside of obvious top dog Terry McLaurin. And so Washington’s willingness to move on from Dotson and trade him within the division must be taken into consideration.
In 2023, Dotson ranked 94th out of 102 wide receivers in yard per route run, according to Pro Football Focus. Commanders quarterbacks had a mere 58.2 passer rating when targeting him.
In 2022, however, Dotson ranked 53rd out of 103 wide receivers in yards per route run. And quarterbacks had a 96.6 passer rating when targeting him.
So, the Eagles seem to think that they’re buying low on Dotson and that he can be better than he was last season. He arrives in Philly with lower expectations than he had in Washington by virtue of being a first-round pick. The Eagles are realistically hoping he’ll be a solid contributor to pair with their two top-notch receivers in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. It’s also worth noting that he has two years left on his rookie contract, plus a potential fifth-year option for 2026.
I don’t know that this move is “OMG HOWIE SZN!” as much as it is a solid move for the Eagles.
What say you?