The Washington Commanders' new regime saw through Jahan Dotson's act pretty quickly. Adam Peters, Dan Quinn, and Kliff Kingsbury weren't fooled by his offseason hype. They'd seen it all before and weren't convinced there was much substance attached.
Peters traded Dotson to the division rival Philadelphia Eagles for a decent haul. The wide receiver saw it coming and wanted to make the Commanders pay for their lack of confidence. Although he does have a Super Bowl ring to show for his efforts, his contribution to the team's dominant triumph was minimal at best.
Dotson was an afterthought in the passing game. Opportunities were limited as he sat behind Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and others. He accumulated just 19 receptions from 33 targets, so it came as no surprise to see Philadelphia reject his fifth-year option.
Commanders have seen Jahan Dotson's offseason hype act before
That raises the stakes for Dotson considerably, entering a contract year. And the fool's gold he often displayed with Washington is coming to the fore again over early workouts.
Jim Kempsky from Philly Voice was suitably impressed after watching Dotson in drills. He noted how the wideout was making tough catches look much easier than other wideouts, something he felt could gain more trust from quarterback Jalen Hurts if the same trend continued over the summer.
"Jahan Dotson's best attribute coming out of college was his hands. He rarely dropped anything at Penn State. Oddly, he did have his fair share of drops in his first two seasons in the pros with Washington. I was watching him during a drill in which the receivers were making one-handed catches, and he was nonchalantly hauling in everything, while it was harder for the other receivers. If he can at least show that he will catch everything that he should catch, perhaps he could gain more trust from Jalen Hurts this season."
Jim Kempsky
This is a familiar scenario for Washington fans. They saw Dotson light it up almost every summer he was around before failing to take this through into a competitive setting. Concentration issues and an ongoing inability to create separation were tolerated by previous head coach Ron Rivera. That wasn't going to be the case once Quinn got into the building.
Flashing promise in shorts and shells isn't going to cut it for Dotson anymore. He needs to produce the goods more consistently when his number is called. Otherwise, the Eagles will have no trouble whatsoever going in a different direction when his rookie deal expires.
That's of no concern to the Commanders, who are moving forward with an outstanding group of wideouts with the right blend of youth and experience.
As for fans? They're just happy that Dotson is no longer Washington's problem, regardless of whether he has a ring or not.
