The Eagles made two pick-swap deals that involved third-round choices last year, acquiring Kenny Pickett and Jahan Dotson. Philadelphia did not need to make a fifth-year option call on the quarterback, trading him to Cleveland in March. The defending Super Bowl champions do hold the option rights on the wideout, though.
Dotson will not see his option exercised, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz tweets. Considering the ex-Commanders draftee’s production to date, it never seemed realistic the Eagles would lock him into an eight-figure guarantee for 2026. Indeed, 2025 will be a Dotson contact year.
While having a Super Bowl LIX touchdown overturned via replay, Dotson still made modest contributions to the Eagles’ cause in his debut season with the team. During the regular season, Dotson caught 19 passes for 216 yards and no touchdowns. He added three grabs for 53 yards and a TD in the playoffs, finding paydirt against the Packers. The Eagles leaned into the run game last season, having acquired Saquon Barkley, but they have funneled their pass game through A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert for years. This setup leaves little room for a No. 3 wideout to break through.
From Jalen Reagor to Quez Watkins to Julio Jones to Doston, the team has still been looking for a dependable third receiver during the Brown-Smith years. Dotson has not yet fit the bill. Seven of the Penn State alum’s regular-season receptions came in a Week 18 game featuring many rested starters. It would have cost the Eagles $16.82MM to exercise Dotson’s 2026 option. Dotson having played at least 75% of the Commanders’ snaps in 2022 and ’23 made him eligible for the third tier on the option structure.
Still, Dotson strung together two 500-plus-yard seasons for a Washington team that struggled to find a quarterback answer during that span. Catching 11 touchdown passes with Washington, Dotson is positioned to have another year to audition for other teams as a prospective 2026 free agent. He will need to fend off the likes of Ainias Smith and Terrace Marshall for the WR3 role in order to make that case. The prospect of the Eagles adding another WR in the middle or late rounds also looms, though the team devoting much to the position this weekend seems unlikely considering Brown and Smith’s contract situations.
I like Dotson but this is a no brainer.
Agreed. Eagles are so loaded they could easily take a WR in round 3 to pair up with 11 & 6. Luther burden, or a Tre Harris
I really wish he could find his way to Buffalo.
Im not mad about him getting a shot with our offense.