From the moment the Washington Commanders traded former first round pick Jahan Dotson to the Philadelphia Eagles in August 2024, it seemed like there was never a time when it didn’t seem like the Commanders had absolutely gotten the best of the deal.
That was, until the playoffs started. In the last month, the tables turned.
That’s because Dotson seemed to suddenly have a knack for making huge plays once he hit the postseason for the first time in his career, beginning with a touchdown catch in the playoff opener against the Green Bay Packers and capped that run with another clutch performance in the Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
Dotson finished the Super Bowl with 2 receptions for 42 yards, including a diving, 28-yard catch in the first quarter that was initially ruled a touchdown but after being overturned was what set up the Eagles’ first touchdown on a 1-yard run from Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts.
“It’s everything I dreamed of, it’s everything I came here to get,” Dotson said after the game. “… If I would have told you 365 days ago that I’d be here you would have laughed at me. I’m blessed to be here. Truly blessed.”
From First Round Bust to Super Bowl Champion
Dotson was the Commanders’ first round pick (No. 16 overall) in the 2022 NFL draft out of Penn State and had just 19 receptions for 216 yards during 17 regular season games in 2024 — despite the Eagles being in desperate need of a WR2 and Wr3 option at different times.
No team in the NFL was as bad at drafting players in the first round as the Commanders were from 2019 to 2023 — all 5 of their first round picks in those years were no longer with the team midway through the 2024 season.
Linebacker Jamin Davis (2021) and cornerback Emmanuel Forbes (2023) were released. Dotson was traded along with a 2025 fifth round pick in exchange for a conditional 2025 third round pick, 2025 fifth round pick and a pair of 2025 seventh round picks. Edge rushers Montez Sweat (2019) and Chase Young (2020) were traded midway through the 2023 season.
Dotson missed 5 games as a rookie in 2022 and finished with 35 receptions for 523 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns in 12 games. Dotson played all 17 games for the Commanders in 2023 but his stats got worse with 49 receptions for 518 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns.
He also had arguably the worst hands of any wide receiver in the NFL, leading the league in drop percentage.
“In 2022, Dotson gained 20 or more yards on 28.6% of his catches. Last year that percentage plummeted to 10.2,” ESPN’s John Keim wrote in June 2024. “His average air yards per target was 14.35 as a rookie compared to 9.25 last season … Also, he has an NFL-high 7.0 pass drop percentage in his first two seasons combined.
Dotson Showed Signs of Life in Week 17
Dotson enters the final year of a 4-year, $15 million contract in 2025 and may have resuscitated his career with his late-season surge and playoff performance. Dotson also had a season-high 7 receptions for 94 yards in a 20-13 win over the New York Giants in the regular-season finale with both Hurts and backup quarterback Kenny Pickett sidelined with injuries and third-string quarterback Tanner McKee making the start.
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