The Eagles and Commanders meet twice every season, so there’s plenty of familiarity for veterans on both sides of the rivalry but Eagles wide receiver Jahan Dotson is an outlier on that front.
Dotson was a 2022 first-round pick in Washington and caught 84 passes for the team before being traded to the Eagles just before the start of the regular season. It was a quick hook for a player drafted so high, but the Commanders had new decision makers with no ties to Dotson in place and the deal was made.
When asked about his emotions about the trade this week, Dotson said he “got over it very quickly” and that he’s not drawing any extra motivation from his first chance to face his former team on Thursday night.
“I’m just trying to treat it like a normal week, it’s a short week,” Dotson said, via the team’s website. “The main thing is the main thing, that’s to come out on top and get the W.”
Dotson has not had a major impact for the Eagles so far this season, so he may not wind up factoring into Thursday night’s result. If he should help the Eagles get a win that gives them firm control of the NFC East, however, it will likely make for an even bigger smile than he’d have against another opponent.
