Jahan Dotson again proves Eagles can rely on him in playoffs originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Jahan Dotson has a habit of carrying around a football everywhere he goes. It’s a habit that predates his career in the NFL and even at Penn State. In fact, he carried a football to his introductory press conference in Philadelphia on Aug. 24 after the Eagles pulled off a trade to get him from the Commanders.
Dotson hasn’t seen many footballs since.
Entering the final week of the season, Dotson had played 610 offensive snaps but had just 12 catches for 122 yards in 16 games. He hadn’t caught a single pass in three straight weeks entering the regular season finale and was statistically the least productive receiver in the NFL.
But he finally got his shot on Sunday.
With A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith both held out of the Eagles’ Week 18 game against the Giants, Dotson was targeted 11 times and finished the game with 7 catches on 94 yards in the 20-13 win.
“Yeah, that was fun to watch,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. “There were a couple really awesome plays that him and Tanner (McKee) had made. You saw some things with him after the catch that was really cool with Dotson. I thought he did a good job.”
On a team with Brown and Smith and Dallas Goedert and Saquon Barkley and Grant Calcaterra, there just haven’t been many opportunities for Dotson. While he has come through with a big play here and there, this season has mostly been about patience.
Dotson has patiently waited for his opportunity to come.
“I know the type of player I am,” Dotson said. “I know I can make plays. Whenever my opportunity is called upon, I’m ready for it. I’m ready to make plays. Just stay patient. It’s been a thing I’ve learned coming up through time. In college, I had to stay patient and wait my turn. This year, I’m doing the same thing. It’s not nothing new to me.
“You gotta stay true to yourself and keep working on your craft. That’s what I do every single day. I got a lot of great guys around me to help me keep getting better. It’s easy for me. Whenever my opportunity is called upon, I go get it.”
It seems unlikely that as the Eagles enter the playoffs — they will host the Packers on Sunday in the wild card round — they’re suddenly going to start targeting Dotson at a high rate. He’s the third receiver behind two of the best in the NFL. But Dotson on Sunday again proved that the Eagles can rely on him to make plays when the ball does go his way.
Dotson’s 94-yard game against the Giants was the third-best game of his three-year NFL career. He had two 100+ games during his time with the Commanders.
A huge percentage of his seasons totals came on Sunday:
Weeks 1-17: 22 targets, 12 catches, 122 yards
Week 18: 11 targets, 7 catches, 94 yards
Entering Week 18, Dotson was one of 64 receivers to play at least 600 offensive snaps this season and he was dead last among them in targets and receptions.
But he and McKee had a connection on Sunday afternoon.
“Yeah, he’s a stud, really hard worker, kind of a quiet guy, but just the guy in the back that works really hard and perfects his craft,” McKee said. “A couple of those timing routes were great. I just knew where he was going to be. With his speed and the way that he catches the ball and separates, I think he’s a really good player. It was good to see him have the success that he did. Obviously was a huge component to us getting the win.”
The Commanders drafted Dotson with the No. 16 overall pick out of Penn State in the 2022 draft and he had over 500 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons. But Dotson was buried on the depth chart under a new coaching staff this summer when Howie Roseman traded away a third-round pick as a part of a package to bring him to Philly.
Dotson would of course love to see the football come his way more but that hasn’t been his role. This season, he’s really just tried to learn as much as he can from Brown and Smith as he works to stay ready.
This is the first time in his three-year career that Dotson will get a chance to play in the postseason.
If the ball finds him in the playoffs, he’ll be ready.
“You never know when that time’s gonna come,” Dotson said. “That’s in life in general. You never know when an opportunity is going to come about. You gotta be ready for it. You don’t know when it could hit. For me, it’s just staying ready for whenever my opportunities come. And making the most of it, taking advantage.”
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