Despite being fresh off of winning their second-straight championship, the Kansas City Chiefs need to make some additions to their offense this offseason, specifically at wide receiver, if they want a real chance at a three-peat.
That’s why USA Today’s Jarrett Bailey proposed a trade that sends Washington Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson to Kansas City in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round pick.
“Patrick Mahomes made chicken salad out of chicken you-know-what with the likes of Kadarius Toney and Richie James. Dotson had a down year after a very promising rookie season in Washington. It wouldn’t be the only move Kansas City would need to make at receiver, but trading a Day Three pick for Dotson is a low risk, high reward scenario that could result in the Chiefs having a reliable slot receiver,” Bailey wrote on February 15.
What to Know About Jahan Dotson
Dotson, 23, was a first-round pick — 16th overall — in 2022 out of Penn State. Standing at 5-foot-11 and weighing 182 pounds, Dotson’s size is the only limiting factor of his game. But the rest of what he brings to the table is why he went in the first round and would be of intrigue to many teams if he was put on the trade block.
Dotson is a savvy route runner that can win at all three levels of the field thanks to his fundamentals and speed (ran a 4.43 at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine). He also can play any receiver position, which was evident in his first two seasons in Washington when he played 63.8% of his snaps out wide and 36.2% in the slot, according to PFF.
During his rookie season, Dotson played in 12 games and caught 35 of 61 targets for 523 yards and 7 touchdowns with a combination of quarterbacks Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke under center, per Pro Football Reference.
Dotson followed up his rookie campaign with an underwhelming sophomore campaign, however. During the 2023 season, Dotson caught more passes (49) but had fewer receiving yards (518) and touchdowns (4) despite playing in all 17 regular season games. Those stats came with second-year quarterback Sam Howell under center.
Does Jahan Dotson Make Sense for Chiefs?
Considering his abilities and the fact that he still has two years remaining on his rookie contract plus a fifth-year option, Dotson would be a great fit for the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.
Kansas City does not have a receiver that can A) be consistently productive or B) be effective at multiple receiver positions. Tight end Travis Kelce owns the middle of the field while providing spatial awareness when the play breaks down. Meanwhile, WR Rashee Rice is effective when given the ball in space and with momentum on his side. Though both players are great, Kelce is a TE and Rice can’t play every receiver position.
Simply put, the Chiefs do not have a player like Dotson, who could be schemed up by head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy to consistently get favorable matchups by utilizing his do-it-all skill set.
This is all said while knowing that the Commanders will likely not trade Dotson. Washington has the second overall pick in April and is projected to pick a QB with that selection. The team will want to surround their rookie QB with talented playmakers, which is why trading away Dotson wouldn’t make much sense for them.
But one can hope, right?
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Trade Proposal Lands Chiefs a Do-It-All WR on Rookie Contract