Jahan Dotson finally shows up: ‘People forget I was picked in the first round’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Jahan Dotson almost seemed insulted after the game when he was asked about his huge 36-yard catch against the Jaguars as if it was a big surprise.
“People often forget that I was a 1stround pick,” Dotson said after the game. “I can make plays.”
Dotson was the 16the selected in the draft just two years ago, but he didn’t look good in his first 7 ½ games as an Eagle.
It’s not easy joining a new team with a new quarterback, a new scheme and a new coaching staff 15 days before Opening Day.
And when Dotson had just six catches for 35 yards on 13 targets through the first seven games of the season, it was fair to wonder how smart it was for the Eagles to use a 3.rdround pick to take him out of Washington after training camp.
But with AJ Brown leaving Sunday’s game at halftime with a knee injury, the Eagles needed action from someone other than Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith.
And on a 1st-and-10 early in the third quarter, Jalen Hurts spotted Dotson deep down the left sideline with only Tyson Campbell in coverage.
Campbell is a very good young corner – a 2i.eround out of Georgia in 2021 – and he had strong coverage of Dotson. But Hurts threw the 50-50 ball to Dotson, and with Campbell draped all over him, Dotson reached his right hand around Campbell’s helmet, tapped the ball in the air with one hand, then pinned it on the way to the ball. turf.
DeVonta Smith outscored him with his insane one-handed touchdown in the fourth quarter, but on a normal day Dotson would have had the play of the game.
The catch went from the Eagles’ 32 to the Jaguars’ 32, a 36-yarder that helped set up Hurts’ 18-yard touchdown run that gave the Eagles a 22–0 lead.
“The ball was in the air, get it and play,” Dotson said. “Being the third receiver in this offense, I don’t get a lot of opportunities, so I have to make the most of them when they come.
“But when the ball is in the air, I have ultimate confidence that I’m going to come down with it, that I’m going to make a play, and that’s what I did.”
It was the 3rd-the longest catch of Dotson’s career behind a 40-yarder from Carson Wentz in 2022 and a 61-yarder from Taylor Heinicke last year.
His longest previous catch as an Eagle was a 10-yarder against the Browns.
“Jahan’s catch, my god,” Nick Sirianni said. “There were some plays today that will live on for a long time in the Philadelphia sports world. They were great individual plays by these guys.”
It appears Brown has escaped serious injury, which is huge considering the Eagles have averaged 27.6 points per game with Brown since 2022 and 15.3 in the four games he has missed.
But perhaps that catch is a sign that Dotson is ready to contribute more consistently as a third receiver and that Hurts is starting to trust him in big moments.
The Eagles could certainly use another weapon.
“I feel like I’m making progress every week,” he said. “Just honing my skills and making sure I’m ready when my number is called.
“I don’t know when or if I’ll have a breakout match, but I’ll be ready for it right now. That just goes into my preparation every day. I prepare like I’m the No. 1 receiver, like I’m going to get 100 targets a game.
“But I just try to make the most of my opportunities when I get them and make some plays for the team.”
Subscribe to Eagle Eye wherever you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts | YouTube music | Spotify| Stitcher | Simplecast | RSS | Check out YouTube
