Eagles wide receiver and former Penn State star Jahan Dotson is pushing for a bigger role in his second season with Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jahan Dotson is tackled short of the goal line by Kansas City cornerback Jaylen Watson during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans.
Jalen Hurts faced a Cover Zero blitz during a red-zone drill at Tuesday’s practice. Pressure was coming from all angles.Who did Hurts look to? It was Jahan Dotson, the former Penn State star wide receiver who’s settling in as a legitimate option in his second year with the Eagles. Hurts whipped a pass Dotson’s way, and he beat Cooper DeJean on a crossing pattern for a touchdown. Hurts said he was “fired up,” and he wasn’t the only one. His teammates and coaches took notice. So did the fans in attendance at the NovaCare Complex. Hurts called it “a big-time play” from Dotson. And the fourth-year receiver would love it if that high-leverage moment in practice translates to the 2025 season. “You build those things off of time and reps,” Hurts said Tuesday. “Jahan, he’s showing now that we’re able to build. So keep showing up, keep making plays and keep taking advantage of it.”It was around this time last year that Philadelphia acquired Dotson from the Washington Commanders. After dominating at Penn State, the Nazareth native was selected No. 16 overall in the 2022 NFL draft by the Commanders. Dotson showed promise, scoring 12 touchdowns in his first two years, but he fell out of favor with the new coaching staff. The Eagles saw an opportunity. Howie Roseman and the organization gave up a third-round pick and two seventh-round picks to acquire Dotson on Aug. 22, 2024. He joined the team shortly before the season started, making it hard to acclimate. Dotson had to learn the system and develop a rapport with Hurts. Not to mention, he had to compete with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert for targets. The Eagles acquired Dotson to be the team’s No. 3 wide receiver. But the payoff wasn’t immediate. Prior to Philadelphia’s backup-heavy Week 18 game against the New York Giants, Dotson had only 12 catches for 122 yards and zero touchdowns to his name. For a 24-year-old wide receiver, who only three years prior was named first-team All-Big Ten, seeing that few targets was difficult. But Dotson kept working. “I felt like last year I was picking it up along the way,” Dotson said earlier in camp. “It really showed later in the season as I was gaining more trust with Jalen.” Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jahan Dotson smiles after he caught a pass for a touchdown during the first quarter of an NFL Wildcard playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Philadelphia.Dotson shined when his name was called in the postseason. He was targeted only five times in four games. But he had a red-zone touchdown in the win over the Green Bay Packers. And he had a near touchdown in the first quarter of the Super Bowl, getting tackled at the one-yard line after snaring a 27-yard catch down the sideline against the Kansas City Chiefs. “I had a lot of confidence in him as the year went on last year,” Hurts said. “For him to make those big-time plays he made toward the end of the year, that was strictly based on confidence.” Dotson was still a point of conversation as the Eagles entered the offseason after their 40-22 triumph in Super Bowl LIX. Everyone knew Brown and Smith would be back, forming arguably the best wide receiver duo in the NFL. But could the Eagles get more out of their WR3? So far in training camp, Dotson has been a standout. He’s taken advantage of Brown missing time due to injury, making plays all over the field. Tuesday was another example of what Dotson can provide the Eagles in 2025 — and how far he’s come since being acquired. “When you get traded and come in and the week of a game you get thrown in to go play and you don’t really have a grasp of the offense and time with the quarterback, it’s tough,” Smith said Tuesday. “But I think now you see it. He’s out there making plays. Him and Jalen’s relationship, you can see it’s paying off with the work that they’re putting in.” “It’s up to me to produce,” Dotson added. “... I’ve been here for OTAs, training camp, so I have no excuse this year. I’m going to make it happen whenever my opportunity is called upon.” If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our
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