It was, looking back says Jahan Dotson, a lot of guesswork last season. Acquired by the Eagles in a trade just a few days before the end of the preseason, Dotson worked hard to catch up on time that he could never get back and he did well enough to make a contribution in the World Championship season.
This year has been a much different experience for him, and to anyone watching practice and the first preseason game last week against the Bengals, it is very obvious.
Dotson is as improved as any player in this Training Camp. The fourth-year wide receiver is on point in every way: He has been running precise routes, is clearly confident in his chemistry with the quarterbacks, and is making every catch.
On a team that features stars in wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, Dotson has surged in the summer. It is clear as day.
"The biggest thing for me is the playbook, right, and understanding what you're doing," Dotson said. "That enables you to play that much faster. So, being that I've had an entire offseason – the OTAs, Training Camp – and learning the playbook day by day, that process slows down a little bit but enables you to play faster on the field. I would say that's the biggest difference for me, being comfortable out here and not worrying about what split I'm in, what I'm doing, knowing exactly where I'm supposed to be, when I'm supposed to be there and making plays."
Every day last year, his first as an Eagle after two seasons with Washington, was a surprise. He made it through. He worked hard. Dotson admitted it was testing to him in many ways: His playing time was less, his targets few, and the plays he was able to make were muted. But in the regular-season finale against the Giants, Dotson broke out with seven receptions – of the 19 he had all year – for 94 yards on 11 targets with Tanner McKee at quarterback.
That changed things, if only a little bit. In the postseason, his snap count rose to 58 percent of the offensive reps and he had the big gain of 27 yards to set up the Eagles' first touchdown, and it all seemed right for Dotson. His hard work paid off. He had clearly gained the trust of quarterback Jalen Hurts and used that to catapult himself into the offseason.
"I'm a completely different player than I was last year," he said. "Mentally and physically, I feel like, from 365 days ago until now, I feel like I'm a completely different player because of the work I've put in. That work has enabled me to enhance my game. I'm looking to showcase that.
"My chemistry with Jalen is night and day. It's hard to simulate that timing on the field when you come in when I came in last year. I was kind of thrown right into the fire from day one. It was kind of like plug and play. When you're a quarterback, you don't know when a guy is going to be there with his speed. You need to work together on that. The reps I had with him in the offseason have enabled him to know where I'm going to be on certain routes.
"It has built our trust in the offseason."
The two worked together in Houston, conducting "throw sessions," and that is how that trust was firmed up. They talk ball – the finer points of where to be on a route and how to get there. All of that has translated into a lights-out summer for Dotson, one that will benefit the Eagles moving forward.
A first-round draft pick from Penn State, Dotson is an enormously talented player with big-play ability. He is quick off the line of scrimmage and has darting speed with the ball in his hands. He looks like that kind of player this summer.
And the best, Dotson thinks, is yet to come.
"It's exciting to see that all of this hard work has paid off," he said. "I feel it on the field. I am on my routes and I'm feeling very confident out there. Every day, it just keeps getting better and better."
