When the Eagles acquired Jahan Dotson from Washington for three draft picks, including a third-rounder, just before the start of last season it sure seemed like a big deal.
The Eagles already had a wealth of offensive talent, but Dotson looked like he could be the cherry on top — or at least over the top — for quarterback Jalen Hurts. The 16th overall pick in the 2022 draft by the Commanders had 35 catches for 523 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie. His 14.9 yards per catch ranked 10th in the league.
His total number of catches went up to 49 in 2023, but his total yards fell to 518 and his touchdown total dropped to four.
The Commanders, in the midst of a roster overhaul under first-year coach Dan Quinn, decided Dotson was expendable and boldly traded him to a division rival. Adding to the intrigue was the Commanders signing of New Jersey native Olamide Zaccheaus, the former St. Joseph’s Prep star who had been among the Eagles’ extra receivers in 2023.
As it turned out, the Commanders got more production from Zacceheaus, who pulled in a career-high 45 catches for 506 yards and three touchdowns in the regular season, which made him the team’s No. 2 wide receiver in terms of production. He contributed seven more catches for 45 yards in the postseason, but left in free agency for the Chicago Bears in the offseason after the Commanders traded for San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel.
One more thing we should point out: the Commanders used the third-round pick they got for Dotson in the trade that brought them five-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil this offseason.
Dotson’s first season with the Eagles, meanwhile, could be looked at in two ways.
In some ways, he might want to forget it because it was the least productive personal season of his career. On the other hand, he was part of a Super Bowl champion and played a contributing role in the playoffs, so that part is sure to be something he’ll never forget.
Dotson, 25, caught just 19 passes for 216 yards, both of which were career lows. He also did not score a touchdown for the first time in his career.
In the postseason, he caught three passes for 53 and a touchdown. Two of the three catches were huge. In the Wild Card round against the Green Bay Packers, he provided the game’s first points in a 22-10 win with an 11-yard touchdown catch from Hurts on the Eagles’ fourth offensive play.
It initially appeared as if he also scored the first touchdown of the Eagles’ 40-22 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl when he pulled in a catch from Hurts along the right sideline in the first quarter. A review, however, showed he was down at the 1-yard line and his 28-yard TD catch became just a 27-yard catch. Hurts scored on the next play and the rout was on.
It’s unfair to be too critical of Dotson’s personal production for a number of reasons. Saquon Barkley was at the top of the list.
Early in the year, the Eagles decided that the star running back would become the focal part of the offense and the Eagles averaged a league-high 36.5 rushing plays per game. They also ran the ball 58.1% of the time. The Eagles had 115 fewer passing plays in 2024 than they did in 2023 and 88 fewer than they did in 2023.
Even when they had more passing plays, the job of No. 3 receiver with the team was the equivalent of being a backup catcher in the major leagues: opportunities are few and far between.
Hurts is going to throw to A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert the majority of the time and that won’t change in 2025 even if the Eagles rely on the pass more as teams attempt to slow down Barkley.
Quez Watkins caught 33 passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles’ No. 3 receiver in 2022. He was targeted 51 times. In 2023, Watkins shared the No. 3 role with Zaccheaus and veteran Julio Jones. The trio combined on 36 catches for 380 yards and six touchdowns. They were targeted a combined 60 times.
Dotson was targeted 33 times last season, so he obviously got the ball quite a bit less than the No. 3 receivers did in previous years.
Is he capable of doing more? Yes, he showed that during his two seasons in Washington. Will he? Probably not much more, which is why the Eagles decided against picking up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract.
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Bob Brookover can be reached atrbrookover@njadvancemedia.com