Larry Henry Jr
Jahan Dotson grew up knowing a lot about the Philadelphia Eagles, the passion that the fanbase has, and the high expectations the fans have for the franchise to be successful. Now he gets to be part of the plan of helping the Eagles try and make a lot of dreams come true for themselves and the city.
Dotson was in attendance at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday as the Eagles closed out their 2024 preseason with a 26-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The former Nazareth, PA native is now the newest face in the Eagles offense after being acquired midweek in a trade with the Washington Commanders.
After being a first round draft pick in 2022, Dotson has showed positive productivity over his first two NFL seasons. He totaled 84 catches for 1,041 yards and 11 touchdowns with the Commanders, quickly becoming a well-known target among NFL wide receivers.
Now he joins an Eagles offense that features star wideouts A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, tight end Dallas Goedert, and running back Saquon Barkley, and Dotson is ready to do whatever necessary to help the team be successful.
“By doing anything possible to help this team win, get in where I fit in, and make the most of my opportunities, make the most of my role, getting to know my role right away,” Dotson said when asked about what he wants his role to be in Philadelphia. “I don’t know what that’s going to be yet. I just got here a couple days ago. We have a lot of weapons, and I look at that as a great thing.
“You know, we have a lot of people who can make a lot of plays, so it’s going to be fun,” he added. “I’ve never, in all of my years of playing, been on a team with this much talent. I’m not only excited to play with them, I’m excited to learn, because we have a lot of great guys in the locker room from top to bottom. So I’m really excited for the opportunity.”
Dotson, 24, was one of the top wide receiver options in 2022 after a standout collegiate career at Penn State University. Washington took a chance on him in the first round that year, albeit higher than where many NFL scouts expected him to get drafted.
He’s been a productive weapon so far in the NFL, missing just four games during his rookie season, and not enduring a fumble in 86 career offensive touches. Dotson has impressive speed and also has the ability to play as a slot receiver, but also out wide if needed.
The Eagles may have made one of the biggest steals of the summer and it very well could be a move that fans, media and league executives look back on next year and ponder at why Washington let him go for so little.
“Really liked him a couple years ago coming out,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said about Dotson. “Looking forward to working with him. I think he helps our team and gives us an addition to an already deep room and excited to work with him. But, yeah, we’re just really excited that we are able to make our team better.”
The Eagles finished 2-1 in the preseason and next prepare to fly to Brazil for a Week 1 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
You can follow Larry Henry on Twitter (@lhenry019) and e-mail him at [email protected].
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