What has led to Jahan Dotson being a total non-factor up to this point?
After observing Parris Campbell and John Ross vie for the third outside receiver position all summer, Howie Roseman realized it wasn’t enough. Consequently, he traded a third-round pick to Washington for Jahan Dotson in late August.
This move was intended for scenarios just like this one.
With A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith sidelined, the Eagles now have a player who excelled at Penn State, was drafted 16th overall just two years ago, and caught 89 passes for 11 touchdowns in two seasons with Taylor Heinicke, Carson Wentz, and Sam Howell in Washington.
However, the results have been disappointing.
Many of Roseman’s offseason decisions have faced similar scrutiny.
“The ball didn’t find him as much on Sunday, and it hasn’t in these early weeks,” Nick Sirianni remarked. “But that doesn’t change how high we are on him. He has great play-making ability and potential; we just need to find ways to utilize that.”
Dotson has logged 200 snaps, started three games, and has caught five of nine targets for just 25 yards.
In fact, backup tight end Grant Calcaterra had more receiving yards on one catch on Sunday than Dotson has accumulated all season.
Since 2012, Dotson has become the first Eagles receiver on record to play at least 45 snaps in three consecutive games without exceeding 12 yards in any of them. He’s also the first to play 200 snaps over four games without exceeding 25 total yards.
This isn’t solely Dotson’s fault; it’s a collective issue involving Sirianni, Kellen Moore, and Jalen Hurts, who has only targeted him eight times in three games since Brown’s injury during practice after the season opener in São Paulo.
The Eagles have averaged just 17 points over three games without Brown. After scoring four touchdowns in the season opener, they’ve managed only six in the following three games.
What’s going wrong? How can a player like Dotson be a non-factor in an offense that clearly needs playmakers?
“It’s challenging to force the ball to someone,” Sirianni explained. “As offensive coaches, we aim to be aggressive. But there’s a balance between being on the attack and taking what the defense gives you.”
“On Sunday, the ball went to him when it was meant to. There were times he could’ve received it, but other factors interfered.”
Dotson, during his time with Washington, never experienced a three-game stretch with only 25 receiving yards. He averaged 35.9 yards per game—far from elite but certainly better than his current average of 6.3 yards per game.
Though he joined the Eagles after training camp, he’s had six weeks to learn the offense and develop chemistry with Hurts.
Yet, here we are.
In his 29 games with the Commanders, Dotson had 15 catches of 20 yards or more and 43 of 10 yards or more. His longest reception in four games with the Eagles has been just seven yards.
His 2.8 yards per target ranks 99th out of 103 receivers who’ve been targeted at least eight times.
He’s not dropping passes; the ball simply isn’t finding him.
“Jahan is approaching this the right way,” offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said. “He’s done well acclimating here. Our focus is on how we can create opportunities for him and increase his targets. He had some chances, but we couldn’t capitalize.”
The silver lining is that by the time the Eagles return from their bye week, A.J. Brown is expected to be healthy after missing three games, and DeVonta Smith should be cleared from his concussion protocol.
Regardless of Brown and Smith’s status, the Eagles must find a way to get production from Dotson.
People criticized Roseman when he traded a third-round pick to the Lions for Golden Tate at the 2018 trade deadline. Tate averaged 35 yards per game the rest of the season but caught the game-winning touchdown in a playoff win against the Bears.
Dotson, on the other hand, is averaging just six yards per game.
Is Hurts giving Dotson enough chances? Likely not. He seems hesitant to target any of the depth-chart receivers, though he did connect with Parris Campbell for a touchdown on Sunday in Tampa.
In the three games without Brown, Dotson, Campbell, Johnny Wilson, and John Ross (who played in only one game) have combined for just 23 targets.
“Jalen has navigated various roles for different players these past few weeks,” Moore noted. “The more time spent together, the better the cohesiveness and anticipation will become. That will develop.”
“We’re optimistic about these guys. We have great depth at receiver, and they will be crucial as the season progresses.”
