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Fans of the Washington Commanders are abuzz about the quick development of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. And he’s already taken over the starting role. But this is the NFL, and Daniels needs weapons if he’s going to be a star in this league. And that’s why the Commanders must make one last-minute trade before Week 1 of the 2024 season.
Sure, it’s tough to make trades in the NFL. If not, the Commanders would have Brandon Aiyuk on their roster already. But the Commanders have to find a way to make a deal for a wide receiver. And it doesn’t have be Aiyuk. It doesn’t have to be a guy like Aiyuk. The Commanders simply need a No. 2 guy who is better than Jahan Dotson.
Commanders need to push WR Jahan Dotson down a notch
Washington doesn’t need to get rid of Doston. But the Commanders need to change his role. In his first two seasons, Dotson had 61 and 83 targets, respectively. But he only had 35 and 49 catches with 1,041 total yards over those years.
And although he had seven touchdowns as a rookie, he totaled only four in 2023. Quite bluntly, Dotson looks more like a No. 3 option. In fact, maybe he could thrive in that spot. He played 82% of the Commanders snaps in 2023, but simply didn’t do enough with all of those opportunities.
Dotson’s problem seems to be separation. And when teams can limit the space he creates, it makes it harder on the quarterback. First, Daniels will need to want to throw Dotson the ball. And then he will have to make tougher throws to get it there.
It’s clear Quinn doesn’t feel great about trotting Dotson onto the field every Sunday as the No. 2 guy behind star wideout Terry McLaurin. Quinn said he’s still working on the wide receiver pecking order, according to nfl.com.
“I would say we are right in the middle of it,” Quinn said. “You'll see two, three, four, five, there's a lot of guys that are really battling. I've been really impressed with Olamide (Zaccheaus), I thought he's had a really strong camp. Looking forward to getting Luke (McCaffrey) some extra work into here, Jahan (Dotson), Dyami (Brown), so that's where we're at.”
Who knows, maybe McCaffrey can be that No. 2 guy. But that’s a lot to ask in the rookie season of a guy with relatively little experience at the wide receiver position. At least Dotson understands he still needs to prove something, according to washingtonpost.com.
“DQ didn't draft me,” Dotson said. “Each and every year … in your profession, you got to prove yourself. You got to prove what you're worth and what you're capable of doing. That's what I'm trying to do.”
Dotson entered the NFL with a problem as his 5-foot-11, 182-pound frame didn’t offer enough resistance against press coverage. But at least Dotson hasn’t given up, looking strong in a recent practice.
“The biggest thing is just playing fast and becoming extremely comfortable in the playbook,” he said. “That allows me to be able to put my own (spin) on routes. But at the same time, playing fast, stretching the field, keeping the defense off balance. That’s a big thing for me. I feel like once I’m able to really get comfortable in the playbook and I’m able to play as fast as possible. … I feel like I’m kind of unguardable.”
Unfortunately, Doston is more like “guardable.” That’s why the Commanders need to pick through rosters and find a team where a trade can be made.
Who are some names the Commanders could target?
It’s hard to know what teams are thinking, but maybe the Commanders could work out a deal with Denver for Courtland Sutton. Or perhaps they could swing Treylon Burks from the Titans. Neither of those guys have been stars, but they both possess something Dotson doesn’t have: size. Sutton is 6-4 and 212 pounds while Burks is a 6-2, 225-pound beast.
By the way, the Commanders could have drafted Burks when they got Dotson, who went as pick No. 16 overall in 2022. Burks went to the Titans at pick No. 18.
Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins would be a more splashy grab. He’s also a big frame at 6-4, 219 pounds. Another possibility is the Giants’ Darius Slayton, although trade within the division is rather risky and teams tend to avoid it.
Why not make a trade?
One reason the Commanders might not want to make a deal is to protect future assets. This is far from an all-in season for the team. At best, the Commanders might be a fringe playoff team — but even that would take a lot of things falling into place.
The Commanders roster isn’t built to handle very many significant injuries. So any trade for a wide receiver should not include draft picks.
Quinn is looking to rebuild his coaching career. He started strong in his first head-coaching stint in Atlanta, but it didn’t end well. Quinn said he re-evaluated everything he did the first time around, according to usatoday.com.
“I wanted to make sure I did a 360 to find what would be some potential blind spots that I did have and – in a good way, of trying to take on too much at times,” Quinn said. “That's why for me, if I got another shot, there were a couple things that I wanted to find.”
