If the Pittsburgh Steelers are not selected in the Brandon Aiyuk sweepstakes, they may be able to lessen the damage by adding a high-upside wide receiver who could be available by trade in the next several weeks.
Based on several of the reports that have emerged from the Washington Commanders’ training camp, NFL.com and NFL Daily Podcast’s Gregg Rosenthal conjectured on Twitter that Jahan Dotson might not be sticking around with the team for very long.
“The more Commanders coaches talk, the more I wonder if Jahan Dotson is on their Week 1 roster,” Rosenthal stated.
After holding the No. 2 receiver position for the bulk of the 2023 season—logging 551 outside snaps opposite Terry McLaurin—Dotson appears to have lost his hold on the position, according to Pro Football Focus. Prior to the offseason, he also seemed to be in the running for that position, but a change in leadership affected his position within the team.
Shortly after the regular season ended in January, head coach Ron Rivera was let go by the Commanders, who were now owned by Josh Harris. Dan Quinn, the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys and a former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, took his place. Meanwhile, Adam Peters became the general manager of the 49ers after resigning from his executive position with the organization.
Quinn has made a point of pointing out that there is a wide open race for the top place behind McLaurin, which isn’t exactly a glowing recommendation for Dotson’s play thus far this summer.
“You’ll see two, three, four, five, there’s a lot of guys that are really battling,” Quinn stated. Olamide (Zaccheaus) has truly pleased me; I felt like he had a pretty good camp. We are looking forward to giving Luke (McCaffrey), Jahan (Dotson), and Dyami (Brown) more work here, so that’s where we are at the moment.”
After being selected with the 16th pick overall in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Penn State, Dotson had a successful rookie season, logging 523 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games—ten of which he started. Although he started 16 of the 17 games he participated in previous season, his production stalled at 518 yards and four touchdowns on 49 receptions.
Although there seems to be a rift with Washington’s new coaching staff, Dotson has worked with the first team during camp and has obvious unrealized talent. The 24-year-old might be ready for a change of scenery after playing a position-high 31 snaps for the Commanders in their opening preseason game.
Dotson would make a great addition to the Steelers’ receiving room and a strong replacement for Aiyuk should he become available. He is a great athlete and dynamic playmaker who can be used in the slot or on the outside. With any luck, he might make his Pittsburgh Steelers debut soon.
