With A.J. Brown out, Jahan Dotson gets chance to prove himself to Eagles
The last time the Philadelphia Eagles didn't have A.J. Brown available, the offense stagnated in a blowout playoff loss. Jahan Dotson wants to prevent the same thing from happening again.
Dotson was acquired weeks before the regular season to be the team's No. 3 wide receiver, which the team lacked in training camp, and an insurance policy in case Brown or DeVonta Smith had to miss time.
Two games in, that nightmare scenario has already come to fruition.
"That's what I was brought here to do," Dotson said. "Take advantage of every opportunity that's given to me."
Dotson will get that opportunity tonight against the Atlanta Falcons, with Brown out with a hamstring injury. The Eagles decided to be cautious with Brown, which makes sense given how early it is in the season. This is also an opportunity for Dotson to show the Eagles they were right in trading for him.
"He's worked his butt off. He's obviously a very talented player," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. "But I know that the guys are ready when they need to be, when they're called upon."
Dotson played 42% of the offensive snaps in his Eagles debut. While Dotson didn't have a catch, he showed the Eagles how much progress he made in learning the playbook — just 15 days after the team acquired him in a trade with the Washington Commanders.
"That is a reflection of how I can learn things pretty fast," Dotson said "That's what I've been trying to do, and I feel like I've been getting more comfortable day in, day out. At the end of the day, football is football. Everyone in the league pretty much runs the same things."
"I feel like the biggest difference is when you come from an offense that calls something one thing and you come to this offense and it's the same exact thing, but you call it something completely different. It's kind of like learning a different language. That's the best way I can put it."
Dotson had just one target in the opener, but those targets will significantly increase with Brown out. He's ready for whatever the Eagles throw at him — literally.
"Whether it's one target per game or seven targets per game, I have to take advantage of every single one," Dotson said. "That's the way I go about it every single day."
