Former Penn State star Jahan Dotson is facing a new offseason as a free agent, and for the first time, he’s openly acknowledging that his time with the Philadelphia Eagles may be coming to an end.
Speaking with PennLive, Dotson didn’t try to hide where things stand as he thought about his future and the reality of what the NFL is.
The Eagles never really gave Dotson much of a chance, but there’s a reason for that. He wasn’t great and they have a lot of other very good players.
“I know that it’s probably my last day being here,” Dotson said, per PennLive. “So it’s tough seeing all the faces, all the relationships you built. Obviously, you still keep those. But those everyday locker room talks and everything like that, it’s tough leaving that. But it’s part of the business."
Dotson’s time in Philadelphia never truly aligned with the expectations that followed him from college and the early part of his NFL career. He was drafted in the first round by the Washington Commanders. With the Commanders, he was decent, but never had much success, honestly.
Despite that reality, he isn’t worried about what others think of him and believes he can go out there and make plays. According to Dotson, his reasoning for the struggles was that he didn’t get a chance.
“I know the type of player I am,” Dotson said. “I know I can make plays for any football team in this league. I wasn’t really able to showcase that here just because of the people that we have.
“I took a backseat to that for the betterment of the team. I was that guy who kind of had to sacrifice getting the ball. ... For me, I’ve got to look out for myself right now. I know I have all the capability to make plays. It’s just about seeing which team sees that in me.”
At this stage of his career, Dotson needs snaps, targets, and a chance to show other teams around the league that he can be a very good player, or at least decent.
It’s probably best for Dotson to take a short-term deal with a really bad team and try to regain his value.