Jahan Dotson

WR Rumors: Chase, Diggs, Dotson, Steelers

September 4th, 2024 at 9:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ja’Marr Chase spent weeks holding in. Now, the All-Pro Bengals wide receiver continues to vacillate between a hold-in strategy and practicing. Wednesday marked a better sign for the team, as its top weapon suited up for what is considered its first game-week workout of the season. Of course, Chase returned to the sideline after having previously suited up. The extension-seeking player’s Thursday participation may be more indicative, given the inconsistency here, of his Week 1 availability.

Seeking a deal in Justin Jefferson territory, Chase is doing so with an organization that avoids the kind of guarantee structures the Vikings authorized for their top wideout. Mike Brown has said Chase is the team’s top non-Joe Burrow performer, but the longtime owner pointed to a 2025 deal being more likely. That said, a recent report indicated the Bengals intensified efforts to extend Chase late last week. Burrow said Wednesday that Chase is ready to play, via the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway, but stopped short of confirming he would.

The Vikings did proceed this way with Jefferson, with the sides cutting off talks before last season. While the Bengals and Chase continue to negotiate, it will be interesting to see how the team — which has bristled about needing to change its guarantee structure for Chase — goes near the guarantees Jefferson ($110MM) and CeeDee Lamb ($100MM) commanded. Jefferson also did not hold in last year.

The Bengals listed Chase as a limited practice participant. A mysterious injury would be a way for him to avoid playing — absent a new contract — in Week 1, but Cincinnati’s injury report lists the limited capacity as pertaining to rest. Here is the latest from a few NFL wide receiver situations:

Jahan Dotson‘s second Commanders season included a clash with then-OC Eric Bieniemy, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. Bieniemy’s style, as Ron Rivera pointed out last year, had brought a bit of a culture shock to several Commanders players. The longtime Chiefs OC is now in that position at UCLA. This year, teams began inquiring about Dotson’s availability after reading of Washington’s uncertainty beyond Terry McLaurin at receiver. The Commanders ended up making a rare trade with the Eagles, a pick-swap deal that brought back a 2025 third-rounder, to unload the 2022 first-round pick.
Missing out on Brandon Aiyuk, the Steelers have Van Jefferson and third-round pick Roman Wilson as their top George Pickens complementary options. The team also took a look at receiver/returner Jamal Agnew recently, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Agnew, who suffered a broken leg late in the 2023 season, has returned to full strength, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo. More than 10 teams have inquired about the converted cornerback’s status. The former All-Pro caught 90 passes during his recent three-year Jaguars tenure.
Preparing to being his Texans tenure, Stefon Diggs alluded to an effort to lead the Bills to trade him this offseason. The veteran receiver had said he was not surprised Buffalo did move him this offseason. “None of those teams wanted to get rid of me,” Diggs said, via GQ’s Clay Skipper. “Things had to shake because I kind of wanted them to shake.” The Bills moved on from Diggs, tiring of his antics, despite taking on a non-QB-record $31.1MM in dead money. The Texans then took the unusual step of removing the final three seasons from the wide receiver’s contract, making him a 2025 free agent-to-be. Diggs, who also made noise in an effort to leave Minnesota, has an opportunity to rebound after disappointing during the second half of last season in Buffalo.

Eagles Acquire WR Jahan Dotson From Commanders

August 22nd, 2024 at 9:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

An intra-divisional trade is set to provide Jahan Dotson with a change of scenery. The former first-round receiver is being dealt from the Commanders to the Eagles, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The deal has now been confirmed by the teams.

Here are the full trade terms, with details from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network:

Eagles receive:

Dotson
2025 fifth-round pick

Commanders receive:

The higher of Philadelphia’s two 2025 third-round selections
The lowest two of Philadelphia’s four 2025 seventh-round picks

Dotson entered the league with high expectations as a deep threat. The Penn State alum averaged 15 yards per catch in college and racked up 20 receiving touchdowns across his final two campaigns with the school. During his first two seasons with Washington, he served as a full-time starter and received 144 total targets. Dotson has struggled with consistency, recording a catch percentage of just 58.3%.

The 24-year-old posted 523 and 518 yards in his Commanders campaigns, although he totaled 11 touchdowns in that span. Despite having two years left on his rookie contract (with the potential for another via the fifth-year option), the Commanders are electing to move on. Of course, the organization’s power brokers (owner Josh Harris, general manager Adam Peters, head coach Dan Quinn) are not the ones who were in place when Dotson was drafted.

Washington has Terry McLaurin comfortably atop the receiver depth, and the Pro Bowler is on the books for the next two years. Questions have been raised about who will take on the other starting spots in 2024, however, and Dotson’s heavy usage in the first week of the preseason suggested the Commanders would be open to dealing him. Trade interest picked up in recent days, Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post confirms. The team will now move forward with an ongoing WR2 competition while newly-signed veteran Martavis Bryant aims to earn a 53-man roster spot.

For Dotson, a spot in the top two of the wideout pecking order is not attainable. The Eagles have A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith attached to new deals worked out this offseason; Brown sits second in receiver AAV while Smith is currently ninth. The No. 3 role has been up for grabs during the offseason, though, and Dotson will have the chance to earn it during the final weeks before Week 1.

Philadelphia’s search for depth included the addition of Parris Campbell and John Ross. Both players’ skillsets profile them as a potential deep threat, so Dotson (who has averaged 12.3 yards per catch in the NFL) will have competition from those two, along with the likes of rookies Johnny Wilson and Ainias Smith. The winner of the WR3 competition will also have to deal with tight end Dallas Goedert and running back Saquon Barkley while looking for targets, of course.

A decision on Dotson’s fifth-year option will need to be made after this coming season. How he performs with his new team will dictate his financial future, and it will be interesting to see how he fits in with Philadelphia. The Commanders, meanwhile, will turn their attention further to receiver options added by the new regime.

Inactives Today: Dotson, Swift, Bakhtiari, Horn

October 23rd, 2022 at 11:04am CST by Ely Allen

Washington was hoping to get its rookie first-round pick back today after missing the past two weeks with a hamstring injury, but, after seemingly reaggravating the hamstring in practice Thursday, Dotson will miss his third game in a row, according to Stacey Dales of NFL Network. In his absence, Washington will rely on Curtis Samuel and Dyami Brown to work opposite Terry McLaurin on offense.

The Commanders have been a mixed bag without Dotson in the lineup. In the team’s loss to the Titans two weeks ago, Brown and Samuel combined to catch eight balls for 167 yards and two touchdowns. Brown’s production came on two long touchdown catches, while Samuel was peppered with eight targets working a shorter range. The two did enough to compliment McLaurin and open him up to snag five passes for 76 yards.

There wasn’t much offense to be found the next week during the Commanders’ win in Chicago, as quarterback Carson Wentz only accumulated 99 passing yards. McLaurin showed up, as usual, catching three balls for 41 yards, while Samuel only caught two of his five targets for 6 yards and Brown was only targeted once. The team has also utilized Cam Sims and Dax Milne, but Samuel and Brown seem to be the most capable candidates to replace Dotson’s production.

Here are a few other notes on players listed an inactive today:

Continuing a trend from his first two seasons, injuries seem to be weighing down Lions running back D’Andre Swift this year as he is also set to miss his third straight game, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Lions have the very capable legs of backup Jamaal Williams who, despite the offense’s struggles during a Week 5 trip to New England, has performed admirably in the lead role during Swift’s absence. Craig Reynolds has taken up the backup duties with Justin Jackson contributing, as well. All three will likely be needed for a tough trip to Dallas.
The Packers continue to get intermittent play out of star tackle David Bakhtiari due to the lingering effects of his recovery from last year’s ACL tear. After playing sparingly in two of the last four games, Bakhtiari will be out today against the Commanders, according to Field Yates of ESPN. Zach Tom is likely to sub in to protect quarterback Aaron Rodgers blindside, while Yosh Nijman slots in at right tackle.
The Panthers will be without second-year cornerback Jaycee Horn for the second week in a row. Last week, the team called on C.J. Henderson to start opposite Donte Jackson but split much of the playing time with second-year backup Keith Taylor. They’ll likely depend on a similar gameplan today against the Buccaneers.

WR Notes: Lions, Burks, Broncos, Giants

October 5th, 2022 at 3:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions are leading the NFL in scoring, having hit 35 points in three of their four games. They did so Sunday without Amon-Ra St. Brown and D’Andre Swift and have been playing without their No. 12 overall draft choice all season. As expected, Jameson Williams will not return to practice when first eligible. Dan Campbell confirmed the first-round pick is improving but added “several weeks” remain before practices enter the equation, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Detroit has a Week 6 bye. Campbell said it will be “a good time after” that point before the team considers Williams practicing.

An Ohio State recruit who broke through after transferring to Alabama in 2021, Williams is rehabbing the ACL tear he sustained in the national championship game. The previously mentioned midseason return, which would give Williams nearly 10 months of rehab, may not quite cover it. But the Lions are understandably playing the long game here. They are not exactly primed to contend in 2022 and could have Williams under team control through 2026, via the fifth-year option. Once Williams’ practice window is opened, the Lions have 21 days to activate him from their reserve/NFI list.

Here is the latest from the receiver scene:

Turf toe will pause Treylon Burks‘ rookie season. While Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes the Titans receiver is not set to undergo surgery, he will miss time (Twitter link). This absence is expected to extend beyond a couple of weeks, per Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed. That would open the door to an IR stint. Turf toe can be a nagging issue, and this ailment has cropped up after Burks cleared some offseason hurdles to put together a somewhat promising start. Burks bounced on and off the field during the offseason for the Titans, with an asthma issue contributing to his missing minicamp. Despite the first-round pick not starting Tennessee’s opener, he caught seven passes for 102 yards over his team’s first two games. The Arkansas alum will look to build on that upon return.
Staying with the 2022 receiver draft class, the Commanders are set to be without their first-round pick for a stretch. A hamstring injury will likely sideline Jahan Dotson for at least two games, Ron Rivera said. Dotson has proven to be a solid contributor early, catching three touchdown passes in four weeks.
The Broncos, who have now lost two skill-position starters to season-ending ACL tears, are planning to elevate K.J. Hamler‘s role. Nathaniel Hackett said the 2020 second-round pick is a player the team must involve more in its game plans, via the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel (on Twitter). Although Hamler caught a well-placed 55-yard pass in Week 4 to set up a Denver touchdown, he played four snaps in Las Vegas. Considering the Broncos are without Tim Patrick for the season, Hamler not seeing much action surprises. But the Penn State-developed speedster suffered an ACL tear and a hip injury — one the Broncos feared was a Bo Jackson-type malady — in Week 3 last season. With the team holding him out in Week 2 because of his previous injury, Hamler is still attempting to surmount that setback. During this process, the Broncos have used Kendall Hinton as their No. 3 wideout.
Sterling Shepard confirmed (via The Athletic’s Dan Duggan, on Twitter) he did not suffer any damage beyond his ACL tear, though the seventh-year Giants wideout estimated his tear actually occurred two plays before he went down. Shepard, who will undergo surgery this month, agreed to a pay cut to stay this offseason — which followed a 2021 Achilles tear. This latest injury could put the former second-round pick’s career in jeopardy.

Commanders To Sign Rookie WR Jahan Dotson

May 18th, 2022 at 1:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

Another Day 1 wideout from last month’s draft is set to officially join the league. The Commanders are signing Jahan Dotson to his rookie deal (Twitter link via Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post).

As the No. 16 pick, Dotson’s contract will be worth just over $15MM. The Penn State product had a four-year college career, which included significant production in his final two seasons. After playing behind fellow speedster KJ Hamler, he took on a larger workload in 2020. That year, he posted 884 yards and eight touchdowns despite the campaign being limited to just eight games.

With increased expectations as the Nittany Lions’ top pass-catcher, Dotson took another step forward in terms of production. He ranked third in the Big Ten in both receptions (91) and yards (1,182) and scored 13 total touchdowns. He also contributed on special teams as a punt returner. That ranked him near the top of this year’s class at the position, with many pegging him as a first round-caliber prospect.

Expected by many to be eyeing a wideout with the No. 11 pick, the Commanders traded down from that spot. They swapped with New Orleans, who gave up No. 16 to take Chris Olave. Situated at the end of a run on receivers as a result of the move, the Commanders had fewer options to choose from, but were still able to boost their passing game. Dotson will join the likes of Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel and Dyami Brown in their WR room, as they look to take a step forward on offense with Carson Wentz.