People were shocked when the Washington Commanders traded 2022 first-round pick Jahan Dotson during training camp. It wasn’t as if Dotson had been lighting things up for the Commanders, but he did have a solid rookie season before struggling in 2023.
Of course, everybody in Washington struggled last season, So almost everyone expected Dotson to be a featured piece in offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s new offense alongside Terry McLaurin. It was clear early in training camp that wasn’t happening.
Still, a trade? To a division rival, nonetheless? General manager Adam Peters didn’t care, preferring to get what he could and add more to Washington’s 2025 draft stash.
How is Dotson doing? In five games, Dotson has six receptions for 35 yards on 12 targets. Philadelphia acquired Dotson, hoping he could be the third wide receiver behind A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith.
While early, the trade looks like a huge win for Peters.
This week, former Eagles linebacker Ike Reese, now a radio host on 94WIP in Philadelphia, joined “BMitch and Finlay” on 106.7 The Fan and discussed Dotson.
“I wanted to call you bro…return to sender!” Reese told Brian Mitchell, his former teammate with the Eagles, via Lou DiPietro of Audacy. “You know how you get a gift, and you’re like, ‘Okay, I thought this was a good gift, man; where is the return slip so I can send this gift back?’”
Ouch.
“Seriously, I shouldn’t be hard on Jahan, but I will say this, B: you kept it real with us,” Reese said. “You told us that there was just something there that ain’t clicking, and there is a sort of a ‘how bad do you want it, and how great do you want to be’ facet that could be missing from the young man.”
Reese discussed the overall state of the Eagles during his appearance, including head coach Nick Sirianni’s latest issues.
Dotson’s downfall is a surprise. While some believed he was a reach at 16th overall in 2022, he did have a solid rookie season with seven touchdown receptions.