Commanders Reacts Survey: What’s going on with Jahan Dotson?

Poll Questions!!

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Washington Commanders fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in regular email surveys.

The questions

Question 1
We begin our survey with the usual weekly question that asks if you are confident in the direction of the team. With the team at 3-3 and 2 games behind the Eagles in the NFC East, how are you feeling?

Question 2
Jahan Dotson got only one target (a pass that hit his hands and then the ground) versus the Falcons.

A lot of people are asking why Dotson isn’t seeing more targets.

Ben Standig suggest that Dotson’s targets and receptions aren’t really much different in 2023 than they were in 2022.

While Ben’s numbers are accurate, Dotson’s rookie season was interrupted by an injury, and when he first returned from that injury, he had 3 mid-season games with a total of 4 targets. Those three games pulled down his per-game averages for the season.

Here’s a look at Dotson’s 2022 targets and receptions in his first 4 games (pre-injury), and his final 5 games (after full recovery) compared to his first 4 games of this season and his 2023 numbers to date.

It looks like Ben Standig is right; through 4 games, Dotson actually had more targets and receptions and a higher catch percentage than through the first 4 games of 2022.

But his production is down:

• Last year, he had 152 yards and 4 touchdowns on those 22 targets.
• This season, he produced 110 yards and 1 TD on 25 targets in the first 4 games.

That raises the question of how Dotson is being used by Eric Bieniemy compared to how he was used by Scott Turner.

In an effort to get some insight into that question, I looked at Dotson’s ADOT (average depth of target) number for comparison. I don’t have it on a game-by-game basis, but here are the numbers for his full rookie season and 2023 to date:

• 2022 ADOT = 13.5
• 2023 ADOT = 8.1

His yards before catch per reception have fallen from 11.0 last year to 6.3 this year, and his yards after catch per reception have dropped from 3.9 to 1.9.

Last year, he was charged with 6 dropped passes (9.8%); this season, he’s been charged with just one (3.2%).

In short, Dotson’s targets and receptions (before the Falcons game) weren’t really limited in comparison to last year and he’s not dropping more passes than he did last year, but he has been targeted at a much shallower depth, so his production in terms of yards and TDs has been much more limited. If he’d caught that pass against the Falcons, the per-reception numbers for the two seasons might be a lot more comparable.

Whether it’s the way Jahan is playing or the way that Eric Bieniemy is using him, things haven’t been the same for Jahan this season.

Our second question asks if last year’s first-round pick, Jahan Dotson, needs to be targeted more in the passing game.

Question 3
A simple prediction; who wins on Sunday, New York or Washington?

Comments & Results

Of course, we invite you to answer the survey questions below, but also feel free to expand on your answers in the comments section. I rely on those comments when discussing the results of the survey when they are posted in a separate article the next few days.

POLL QUESTIONS