Jahan Dotson wins rookie of the week again
Breaking down Jahan Dotson’s rookie of the week performance
Rookie wide receiver Jahan Dotson won the rookie of the week award for his performance against the Giants. Dotson, who picks up his second rookie of the week award, caught four passes for 105 yards and a touchdown on Sunday night and gave us all a reminder of why he was a first-round pick in the first place. Let’s take a closer look at his performance.
Since returning from his injury earlier this season, Dotson’s targets have been limited by the Commanders playing a run-first style of football and using multiple tight ends to help establish that running attack, leaving Dotson on the sideline and only occasionally rotating in with Curtis Samuel or Terry McLaurin. But when the Commanders have gone a little more heavy on the pass, like in the second half against the Giants, Dotson has shown his quality.
I really enjoyed the route here from Dotson. He aligns in the slot to the right, just on the edge of the red zone. He runs an out route, but sets it up nicely. The slot corner starts the snap with inside leverage, so Dotson takes an outside release off the snap. As he works up the seam, Dotson subtly bends his route back inside, forcing the corner to concern himself with the potential of Dotson working vertical or breaking inside. As the corner adjusts to Dotson’s angle, Dotson then sharply makes his cut out towards the sideline. The route grants him a yard of separation from the defender, but the throw leads him further away from the defender and is more out towards the sideline. Dotson tracks the ball well in the air and makes up the ground to pull in the catch while ensuring he gets both feet in bounds before he steps out.
His route running is more advanced than most receivers coming out of college and it gives him the ability to separate regardless of athletic ability. It helped him on his touchdown catch too.
This time, the Commanders are just inside the red zone with Dotson aligned outside the numbers to the left of the formation. As the ball is snapped, Dotson can see his defender opening his hips to the sideline, ready to turn and run vertically. Dotson knows he’s meant to break inside and that this is an advantageous position, so he has to make sure not to go too early and give the defender a chance to recover. He does a nice job staying patient and setting up the route. He takes his steps vertically off the snap, not giving away any indication of where he wants to go. As he eats up the cushion and gets close to the defender, he takes a jab step outside, getting the defender to commit to a fade before cutting across his face towards the post. Taylor Heinicke does a nice job holding the safety in the middle of the field to keep Dotson one-on-one on his side and then fires the ball into an open Dotson in the end zone for a touchdown.
Even when he’s not getting the ball, Dotson’s route running can help open things up for others.
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