ASHBURN, Va. — Early in the 2004 movie “Miracle,” actor Kurt Russell, playing the role of 1980 U.S. Olympic head coach Herb Brooks, hands a piece of paper to his assistant coach, Craig Patrick.
On the page were 26 names Brooks chose to compete in the team’s training camp. The twist is this moment occurs shortly into the first day of a weeklong tryout with dozens of players.
Studying the list, the puzzled assistant tells Brooks, “You’re missing some of the best players.” The future gold medal-winning Brooks responds, “I’m not looking for the best players, Craig. I’m looking for the right ones.”
That sentence explains why the Washington Commanders traded wide receiver Jahan Dotson on Thursday.
Washington acquired a 2025 third-round pick and a pair of sevenths from the Philadelphia Eagles for Dotson and a 2025 fifth-rounder. In his second trade of the day, first-year general manager Adam Peters boldly chose a course of action rather than wishing, waiting and hoping for a turnaround or overthinking the perils of an intra-division trade.
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Commanders trade WR Jahan Dotson to Eagles
There are players the Commanders could have retained or acquired this offseason that would bolster the team’s 2024 potential. That wasn’t what the former San Francisco 49ers executive and managing partner Josh Harris envisioned. Sustainability comes with consistency, effort and talent. That’s the sweet spot during an overhaul that removed over half of last season’s uncompelling roster while maintaining future salary-cap space and draft picks.
Dotson was considered a rising star not long ago. The 2022 first-round pick is skilled. He can corkscrew a defender when running a precise route. His ability to play taller than his listed 5-foot-11 height helped him lead Washington with seven receiving touchdowns in his rookie season. Dotson’s performance may improve significantly by playing with Eagles receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
The downturn began with his sophomore campaign. Many players were underwhelming amid Washington’s 4-13 season slog. Unlike other projected standouts, Dotson’s funk lingered.
Pro Bowl defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne rediscovered that extra gear under the new regime. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin’s childlike enthusiasm pops in each practice while tormenting cornerbacks. New veterans and incoming rookies appear connected to the competitive spirit coach Dan Quinn preaches.
“You’re going to see how we play. You’re going to feel how we play,” Quinn said last month on training camp eve. “That’s the first thing. … I can tell you that you’re gonna see a great effort team, a competitive team, playing fast and physical. We’ve seen that out there all spring, and (I’m) excited to see it here in camp.”
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Quinn isn’t playing the role of a cliche movie coach, though he’s dropped quotes from “Top Gun” and “Animal House” in discussions about heralded rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Peters didn’t spend lavishly in free agency for a quick turnaround. Washington inked proven, hardworking veterans such as linebacker Bobby Wagner and running back Austin Ekeler on short-term deals.
The Commanders didn’t grab only high-ceiling players in the draft but sought leaders. Seven of the nine picks were team captains in college. Peters, Quinn and Harris were looking for the right players for sustained success.
“(Adam and I) want to do things from the ground up, one person at a time,” Harris said in January at the ex-49ers executive’s introductory news conference. “But both of us want to take more of a long-term perspective to build sustainable and elite winning.”
Acquiring three 2025 draft picks plays into that plan.
Trading Dotson began feeling inevitable after the first preseason game. Starters typically play sparingly in the opener. McLaurin played 11 snaps at the New York Jets, while Dotson played 32, more than any receiver on the roster.
When Quinn receives questions about linebacker Jamin Davis and cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr., two recent first-round picks with shaky futures in Washington, the coach lauds their effort and willingness to work. When first asked about those Dotson snaps, Quinn bypassed any mention of the receiver.
“I think we’re right in the middle of that competition at receiver. … We’re really digging into that group, and it’s a really competitive group,” Quinn said.
Another direct Dotson question before the Miami joint practice led to another calculated answer.
“I think with all the guys that we were talking about at that spot, the urgency, the run game, the pass game. … I do wanna see with (Jahan) and all the other guys really finding some competitive moments: did he beat the (defender) even though the ball didn’t go to that spot? I’m really trying to evaluate them with and without the ball.”
Subsequent responses followed similar patterns but with other receivers, Olamide Zaccheaus and Dyami Brown, garnering mentions before Dotson.
The trade timing wasn’t about thrusting Zaccheaus or Brown into the lineup. Neither is a trademark second receiver, which would help a rookie quarterback. There is no burgeoning talent Washington sought to clear room for, though third-round pick Luke McCaffrey could eventually crack the rotation this season.
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If Dotson’s dip continued or the staff kept him on the sideline, the future trade return would plummet. The pre-trade comments and overall vibe from the No. 16 pick in the 2022 draft suggested he knew something was amiss.
“I’m trying to show what I can do every single day … trying to improve each day,” Dotson said following last week’s joint practice in South Florida. “I’m not where I want to be. I’m going to keep building every day to make sure I am where I want to be.”
The two years remaining on Dotson’s rookie contract helped Washington land three 2025 selections, including a Day 2 pick. Whatever Washington’s win total is this season, two obvious goals are becoming a weekly pest for opponents and helping Daniels show he’s the real deal. Both occurring would help Peters take more aggressive steps next offseason. The acquired picks bolster the Commanders’ trade asset portfolio.
Zaccheaus, a former Quinn player in Atlanta, isn’t an obvious starter based on league-wide No. 2 wideouts. But what the 5-foot-8 receiver lacks in size, he makes up for with position versatility, route running and “dogged and wanting,” offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said after Thursday’s post-trade practice. “DQ is preaching our style of play and how we’re going to do things, and (Zaccheaus) answers the bell in every snap, whether he’s run routes or has to block a safety. That’s really jumped out on film.”
Brown rarely shined in his first three seasons, but Quinn has steadily praised the 2021 third-round pick this summer. Washington’s best pure deep threat impressed his coach by how hard he ran each route, “knowing (the ball) may not come to you.”
“I ain’t gonna lie, I was speechless,” Brown said about the Dotson trade.
Other options, including holdover Mitchell Tinsley, Byron Pringle, Brycen Tremayne, Martavis Bryant and Jamison Crowder, profile as spare but valuable parts.
As the Dotson deal highlights, play potential isn’t running the show in Washington. And Peters, Quinn and Harris aren’t rushing the process. This franchise seeks to establish a new tone for an organization decades removed from its glory days or basic competency. McLaurin, Allen, Wagner and the impressive Daniels can help it get there. So can several others, even if they aren’t considered the best players. At this rebuilding stage, that doesn’t mean they aren’t the right ones.
(Photo: Rich Schultz / Getty Images)
