Why did Commanders trade Jahan Dotson? Washington's depth chart move explored

Jahan Dotson was supposed to be the next star for the Washington Commanders. Now, he's on a different team. Dotson was a highly touted prospect in the draft and he was an exciting rookie. Things just didn't come together after that and the Commanders decided to flip him to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Commanders sent Dotson and a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Eagles for a 2025 third-round pick and two seventh-round picks that year, too. Dotson was a first-round pick, so the return is not at all what the Commanders spent on him, but it was enough to trigger a move. Why did the Commanders give up on someone who was once poised to be the star wide receiver?

According to NFL insider Albert Breer, it just came down to the reduction of role. Over the last few weeks in the preseason, Dotson didn't have a clear, defined role in the new Washington offense.

Kliff Kingsbury runs a different offense, which is why he was brought in this off-season. That offense didn't mesh well with what Dotson could do, and it became clear that he wasn't going to make much of an impact.

They didn't seek out a move, but they did eventually get a deal they felt was too great to ignore. They now have a little less depth at wide receiver, which is why they recently began looking into a secondary option, but they did get a good return.

Dotson never really took off like he was expected to in Washington. He showed some promise, but he couldn't live up to it and the Commanders just couldn't find a way to use him anymore.

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Commanders continue looking for wideout options after Jahan Dotson trade

Even before they sent Jahan Dotson to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Washington Commanders were trying to figure out their wide receiver depth chart. Behind Terry McLaurin, no one had really stepped up.

Jahan Dotson was traded to the Eagles (Imagn)

The Commanders selected Luke McCaffrey in the NFL draft and had looked at Olamide Zaccheus and Jamison Crowder as veteran options in free agency. They also added Martavis Bryant and Byron Pringle in training camp.

Dotson is gone, but the Commanders have brought in a lot of options to once again try to find some reliable weapons on the field.