How Jahan Dotson fits Washington Commander's offense
The Washington Commanders selected former Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson with the 16th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. The star receiver was the fifth wideout taken in the draft and will slot in next to former Ohio State receiver Terry McLaurin and form a dangerous one-two punch.
Here is what I wrote earlier this week about Dotson’s best fit at the next level.
“While Dotson is great at getting open deep, he won’t be able to do that on every play. In addition, his contested catch numbers are an issue in his profile, coming down with roughly 42% of his contested catches over the last two seasons per PFF. That isn’t bad, but it’s not the profile to carry a team.”
Jahan Dotson’s fit with the Washington Commanders
With that in mind, Washington is an excellent fit for Dotson. With McLaurin on the other side, Dotson won’t have to shoulder any of that load for the Commanders. Thanks to his skills and poor QB play, McLaurin snagged 25 contested passes last season, primarily from Taylor Heinicke. He’s well known for his ability to fight off defensive backs and grab contested catches.
Penn State receiver Jahan Dotson selected 16th overall in NFL Draft
At the moment, Dotson seemingly fits nicely as a slot receiver on a deep and talented roster of pass catchers. Washington’s lending slot receiver from last season, Adam Humphries, is currently a free agent, although slash receiver Curtis Samuel didn’t play in only five games last season due to injury.
The team is not short on help at the position either. Last season, the Commanders invested a third-round pick in speedster Dyami Brown out of North Carolina. While he only tallied 12 catches, he represents a deep threat on the boundary to complement Dotson and McLaurin.
In theory, Dotson should have free reign over the middle of the football field for the Commanders. He’s better than most slot corners and is equally dangerous against man and zone coverage. His route running and precision can shine as a versatile receiver who can line up on the boundary as well.
Can Dotson help with Washington QB problem?
The real problem for Dotson will be at quarterback. This offseason, the Commanders traded for former Eagles and Colts signal-caller Carson Wentz. Wentz is a notorious turnover machine but, more importantly, is one of the least accurate QBs in the league, according to PFF. Last season he tallied a 72.3% adjusted completion percentage, which was 29th out of 32 starting quarterbacks.
Luckily for Wentz, Dotson is an acrobatic phenom in the air and routinely snags highlight-reel passes on errant throws.
While the team is not exactly a shining beacon of consistency in the NFL, Dotson has the chance to do his thing opposite of McLaurin. Time will tell if Dotson, McLaurin, tight end Logan Thomas and a stable of quality running backs can help evaluate the erratic play of Wentz.
