The Philadelphia Eagles have found their new slot receiver. On Thursday, the Eagles announced that they’ve agreed to an intra-NFC East trade to acquire former first-round pick Jahan Dotson from the Washington Commanders.
Why did Philadelphia target Dotson? Why did Washington give up on the ex-Round 1 choice? And what does today’s trade mean for Dotson’s fantasy football value?
Eagles Trade For Commanders WR Jahan Dotson
Here’s what the Eagles are giving up in exchange for Dotson:
- Eagles acquire: WR Jahan Dotson, 2025 fifth-round pick
- Commanders acquire: 2025 third-round pick, two 2025 seventh-round picks
Dotson, 24, was the 16th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. While he entered the NFL with high expectations after thriving at Penn State, he’s averaged just a 42-520-6 line through two pro seasons.
Of course, Dotson didn’t benefit from the best quarterback play in Washington. After catching passes from Carson Wentz, Taylor Heinicke, and Sam Howell over the past two years, Dotson will experience a significant upgrade now that he’s playing with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
While Philadelphia boasts one of the NFL’s most consolidated passing attacks with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, general manager Howie Roseman had been interested in adding a third option. Incumbent choices like Parris Campbell, John Ross, and rookie Johnny Wilson have been sidelined by injuries during the offseason.
The Eagles now have Dotson under contract for the next two years at a total cost of just $4.3 million. Philadelphia also holds a 2026 fifth-year option on its newest pass catcher.
Washington’s new regime — led by general manager Adam Peters, head coach Dan Quinn, and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury — seemed to have soured on Dotson this offseason.
Quinn told the media that the Commanders were searching for wideouts to step up opposite Terry McLaurin. Kingsbury deployed Dotson as a slot receiver on two-thirds of his preseason snaps after the former Nittany Lion played primarily on the perimeter in 2023.
Perhaps because Washington’s view on Dotson was apparent, the Commanders had recently received multiple offers on the third-year wideout, according to the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala.
Intra-NFC East trades are becoming relatively commonplace. The Commanders let the Eagles trade up for CB Cooper DeJean in April’s draft, while the Dallas Cowboys acquired DT Jordan Phillips from the New York Giants last week.
Roseman has never been wary of adding to Philadelphia’s roster via trade. In the last two-plus years alone, the Eagles’ GM has acquired Brown, S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, EDGE Robert Quinn, RB D’Andre Swift, TE Albert Okwuegbunam, S Kevin Byard, and QB Kenny Pickett.
Jahan Dotson’s Fantasy Outlook
Dotson was a long shot to return meaningful value in Washington as the front-runner for the WR2 role on an offense with a mobile QB. Those odds don’t increase with him now the WR3 (potentially fifth on the team as a whole in target hierarchy) in an offense with a mobile QB.
There is more contingent value now than before, as an injury to either Brown or Smith would put Dotson on the DFS radar. Still, he’s not the type you have to draft.
This move may open up targets for the Commanders. Maybe a receiver steps into that role, but nothing drafters need to act on until we see it. Ben Sinnott scored on 12.8% of his collegiate catches and could be a punt TE to watch as this offense under Jayden Daniels takes shape.