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In-division trades are not common in the NFL, so when a notable one happens, it is a big surprise. The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders executed a significant trade on Thursday, with Jahan Dotson going to the Eagles in a surprise trade.
The trade represents two teams in different spots. Despite last year's collapse, the Eagles are in it to win it this year, they ran it back with Nick Sirianni, but have new coordinators in Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio. They also signed Saquon Barkley to hopefully supercharge an already loaded offense at the skill positions. The Commanders are hoping to build a foundation in the Adam Peters-Dan Quinn regime, constructing a team around rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
These two teams are trying to accomplish different things with this trade, but let's get to what the returns mean for each side, along with a grade for each team.
Eagles get Jahan Dotson, 5th-round pick
When looking at the Eagles' skill positions on paper, this trade makes perfect sense, as Jahan Dotson fits into that slot receiver role perfectly. That is a role that Dotson is likely best suited for. AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith are the two outside receivers, while someone like Parris Campbell was slated to be the slot receiver before this trade. Add in Saquon Barkley and Dallas Goedert at running back and tight end, Philadelphia has a loaded skill position group.
However, there is the other side of the coin here that Dotson might not be the player that he was believed to be coming out of Penn State. The Commanders had a wide open role for him on their offense, and he was still out of favor there, being behind Olamide Zaccheaus on the depth chart, who was on the Eagles last season.
Getting back a fifth-rounder here offsets the draft compensation a little bit, but giving a third-rounder is significant as well. This fills a clear need for the Eagles, but there is some risk involved. Hopefully a significant upgrade at quarterback in comparison to Dotson's first two years in the league helps him hit his potential.
Grade: B-
Commanders get 2025 3rd-round pick, 2 7th-round picks
From the Commanders' perspective, the whole Jahan Dotson saga was mismanaged. Washington traded back (under a different regime) from the No. 11 pick, where a high-end receiver like Chris Olave was available, to No. 16 and selected Dotson.
There were some legitimate flashes in year one for Dotson, and a lot of optimism for him heading into year two. That did not translate, as Dotson recorded 518 receiving yards and four touchdowns last year for a team that threw the ball a lot, according to Pro Football Reference. He was clearly losing out to other receivers like Dyami Brown and Luke McCaffrey so far in training camp and preseason as well.
At a certain point, it was clear that Washington did not view Dotson as a piece for the future. Fifth-round picks often do not result in much, so getting a third-round pick back in this deal is nice for a team that is not a true contender yet and building with a long-term vision.
Perhaps this brings the Commanders back into the conversation for Brandon Aiyuk as well.
Grade: A-
