PHILADELPHIA — Jahan Dotson didn’t circle this week on the calendar. He didn’t really give this week a second thought.
The Philadelphia Eagles are facing the Washington Commanders this week. Dotson’s current team against his former team, the team that gave up on him just days before the regular season.
But it’s just another week for him.
“It’s gonna happen regardless twice a year. So it happens when it happens,” Dotson said Tuesday. “My job is to come in and be ready, help my team get a W.”
The Commanders decided to move on from Dotson, a first-round pick just two years ago, trading him to the Eagles and getting a third-round pick (and two seventh-round picks) back. The Eagles received a fifth-round pick along with Dotson, who had to learn a new system in less than two weeks.
The slow start was expected, but Dotson has picked up his game with two crucial catches over the past two weeks. Dotson has just eight grabs for 98 yards on the season, but two catches for 63 yards over the past two games.
“Everything is coming in time,” said Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. “It comes with reps, it comes with conversation and communication, and obviously when you’re able to take advantage of those matchups, you seem to find yourself in more of them.”
Dotson struggled at the end of his Commanders tenure, and Washington moved on from him in favor of Olamide Zaccheaus, Luke McCaffrey and Dyami Brown. Instead of looking at the past, Dotson has been progressing toward the future with his current team.
“Trying to get a W,” Dotson said. “That’s all that really matters to me. Making plays for this team and coming out on top.”
Dotson spent nearly all of training camp with the Commanders, catching passes from Jayden Daniels while trying to figure out where he fit on this roster. Did Dotson get the feeling then that his former team would be one of the best in the NFC?
“Obviously I didn’t know how things were gonna turn out. Would I say it was a surprise? I wouldn’t,” Dotson said. “They’re a very well-coached team. Got a lot of great players. They’re very capable of winning football games. But they’re putting it together. It creates a fun matchup for us on Thursday.”
Dotson hasn’t been surprised with Daniels’ performance, either.
“He’s got a ton of talent,” Dotson said. “We all knew he was going to be good. And I’m happy that he’s showing everyone how good he is.”
There may be some feelings Dotson is bottling up, but the Eagles wide receiver will leave that up to interpretation. Dotson can turn to teammate and fellow Penn State alum Saquon Barkley on how to handle a situation like this.
The task isn’t going to be elevated because Dotson will be facing his former employer.
“People handle things different ways,” Dotson said. “I don’t know how he handled it, but he handled it very well. I’m pretty sure his mindset was make plays when his number was called and help his team get a W.”
Want to take Jahan Dotson betting props when he faces off against his former team? Head on over to FanDuel Sportsbook to get in on the action for “Thursday Night Football.”