The Philadelphia Eagles' 23-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers will understandably signal several meaningful offseason changes, including the exit of wide receiver Jahan Dotson. The fourth-year pass-catcher entered the playoffs needing a meaningful run to secure his spot. Instead, he was largely invisible in the elimination game, perfectly encapsulating his forgettable 2025 campaign.
Instead, Dotson was only targeted once and was unable to make the catch. It was in a big fourth-quarter spot with the Eagles badly needing a conversion, and quarterback Jalen Hurts put the ball up for the undersized receiver. Dotson ran into his defender and appeared more interested in fighting for a flag than the football, indicating that he isn't trustworthy when the game is on the line.
When he joined the Eagles a few seasons ago, Dotson was expected to match the first two years of his career with the Washington Commanders, where he had over 500 receiving yards in back-to-back campaigns. This was despite playing with a rotating cast of quarterbacks that included Sam Howell, Taylor Heinicke, and Carson Wentz.
Considering how he's failed to reach those heights with Hurts as his QB, it might be time to hand Dotson his walking papers out of Philly.
It's Time for Eagles to Pull the Plug on Jahan Dotson Experiment
Dotson was brought to the Eagles with the idea that being surrounded by A.J. Brown, Dallas Goedert, and DeVonta Smith would consistently give the receiver easy matchups. He's since become an afterthought in the offense, catching just 37-of-69 targets (53.6%) for 478 receiving yards and a touchdown. For reference, he had more yards (523) and TDs (7) as a rookie despite catching two fewer passes that season.
Simply put, Dotson isn't a good fit for the Eagles and vice versa. The former 2022 first-rounder will be an unrestricted free agent in March, and it's hard to imagine general manager Howie Roseman being all that eager to bring him back.
Fellow WR Darius Cooper looked solid against the 49ers, so there's a chance that convinced the Eagles to put him in the WR3 competition at training camp. Johnny Wilson is also under contract for another year, and if Philly wants to add more wideout depth, they can always do so with draft picks and bargain-priced free agents.
The Eagles must improve their WR situation, meaning they must find someone who can help take the heat off Brown and Smith. This clearly isn't going to be Dotson, who needs a fresh start with a team that's playing for much lower stakes, allowing him to learn from the mistakes he consistently makes.
For the Eagles, Dotson isn't the only change coming to the offense, as Brown's future is uncertain, and tight end Dallas Goedert is poised to hit free agency. Having said that, Dotson's exit is the only one of these moves that can be viewed with certainty, as Philadelphia can't keep trotting him out there and expecting different results.
A year after ending the season as Super Bowl champions, the Eagles' offseason will be ripe with questions that yield uncertain answers. One of the few exceptions to that will be if anyone asks if Dotson should return next season, the only answer should be, "Not a chance."