Jahan Dotson has just six catches all season. He hasn’t had a catch in either of the last two games. And on Sunday, he played the first game in his NFL career without a single target.
At one point in his life, that would have really gotten to him.
“A younger me, I would say 100%,” Dotson said on Wednesday. “But me now, especially with the people I have in my corner, just me always trying to mentally challenge myself to be better and better and better, I feel like I’m in a very good head space where that doesn’t bother me. A younger me, that would have bothered me. I would have been mad.
“But it’s bigger than me at the end of the day. I’m all about team, team, team. And whatever I can do to help this team win football games, I’m going to do. Whether that be 0 targets, whether that be 15 targets, whether that be the game-winning block, whether that be two plays. I’m going to try to do it to the best of my ability to help this team win.”
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Dotson is trying to stay patient as he waits for some targets to come his way and he said he’s focused on doing whatever he can to help the Eagles win. While it hasn’t translated to production on the stat sheet, it is a mature approach.
How did he get to a point where he doesn’t let it consume him?
“I think it’s my mental headspace,” Dotson said. “I dealt with it at every single level. High school, getting the ball every single play to going to college and having to be a backup and work my way on to the field. Early in my career, I didn’t see a lot of targets to later in my career, I started to get a lot of targets and make some plays. I’ve dealt with it at every single level so I feel like I’ve grown and grown and grown in that headspace to be better.”
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The Eagles pulled off a trade — part of which was giving up a 2025 third-round pick — with the Commanders on Aug. 22 to acquire Dotson from the NFC East foe. General manager Howie Roseman, after watching training camp, finally made a move to bring in a No. 3 receiver behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
While Dotson had not blossomed into a star in his two seasons with the Commanders, he was a former first-round pick and had two seasons with 500+ receiving yards to start his NFL career.
As a third receiver in an offense that was expected to be elite, it seemed like a good fit.
But through seven games in the 2024 season, the production just hasn’t been there, not even when Brown and Smith missed time.
“Yeah, I think he's showing up and I think he's being patient,” Jalen Hurts said. “You know, some things aren't always reflective of where he is, but he's working, he's taking it day by day. I think like anything else he's just waiting on his opportunity, waiting on his number to be called.”
Had the Eagles not traded for Dotson before the season, there’s a chance he would have been traded by the Commanders during the season before Tuesday’s upcoming trade deadline.
But Dotson is happy he was traded when he was.
“Yeah, 100%,” he said. “I couldn’t imagine just picking up and going in the middle of the year. So, I’m grateful that I was able to get here before the season started and get to work with the guys.”
Through seven games this season, Dotson has just 6 catches for 35 yards. His average of 0.20 yards per route run is the lowest figure in the NFL among players who have run at least 100 routes.
So how does Dotson get more involved?
One thing he mentioned on Wednesday was about his role as a “scramble guy” in the offense. Such a huge portion of the Eagles’ passing offense is designed to get the ball to Brown and Smith, so one area where Dotson thinks he can make an impact is when plays break down. When things go off-schedule, he wants to work to give Hurts an open target the QB can trust.
“Just being a reliable guy that Jalen can depend on is huge,” Dotson said. “I’m going to try to do that. I heard a good quote. ‘Whoever works the hardest off the ball is usually the one who gets the ball.’ So I’m just trying to work my way open and be friendly for Jalen.”
Of course, Dotson is still building a rapport with Hurts and that’s important. There’s a reason Hurts likes to spend as much time with his receivers as possible and there’s no substitute for time together.
Hurts on Wednesday brought up an impressive sideline, toe-tapping catch Dotson made against the Browns a few weeks ago.
Great sideline catch from Jahan Dotson during the game-clinching drive. Hopefully a sign of Hurts looking his way more often. pic.twitter.com/nDiWZymM2C
— Victor Williams (@ThePhillyPod) October 14, 2024
“I have never seen Jahan drag his toe,” Hurts said. “It hadn't been something that he had, but he did it in the most crucial moment. And it's like, that's what you want.”
And then Nick Sirianni brought up a key block that Dotson made on a Saquon Barkley swing play against the Bengals, where Dotson “played tough and strong, and was able to get that block.”
Of course, those are just two plays in seven games this season. And the Eagles brought Dotson in because they thought he’d be a good No. 3 option in 2024 and 2025 because he has one more year on his rookie contract after this season. But it's off to a slow start.
The Eagles have won their three games since the bye week and have gotten some big games from Brown and Smith. Those guys are going to get their targets and catches but it would definitely help if Dotson could start to produce too.
“I see him improving every day, just being around the guys that he's around,” Sirianni said. “(Receivers coach) Aaron Moorehead is doing a good job, and [Dotson is] doing a good job of getting better.”
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