Former first round pick gets cast off by Commanders in rare in-division trade

Jahan Dotson gets a fresh start

Oct 29, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson (1) scores a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Commanders have completed a rare in-division trade, sending former first round pick Jahan Dotson and a fifth round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2025 NFL Draft third round pick.

The No. 16 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Dotson has played a whopping 55 snaps for the Commanders this preseason. That kind of workload in exhibition games is typically a sign that your roster spot is not on solid ground. On those snaps, however, Dotson was targeted just five times and racked up just three catches for 16 yards.

This is a new era of Washington Commanders football that begins with a new general manager, a new head coach, and a new face of the franchise in quarterback Jayden Daniels. This kind of turnover is frequent and common when a new regime comes to town. However, casting off a former first round pick to a division rival is not a common practice.

Over the past two seasons with the Commanders, Dotson surpassed 500 yards in each of those years with subpar and uneven quarterback play. He scored seven touchdowns as a rookie, adding another four in the second season of his career. Perhaps he was not a fit for what offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury wants to do, or he was not a culture fit in the overhaul taking place, but this is not underwhelming production to part ways with.

Dotson now gets a fresh start with the Eagles, where he will get the opportunity to serve as their slot receiver in a talented room that includes AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. Their current slot receiver was slated to be the oft-injured Paris Campbell, so this gives the Eagles a big upgrade inside.

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