Eagles acquire WR Jahan Dotson in a trade with the Washington Commanders for the Penn State product

The Eagles made a splashy addition to bolster their wide receiver depth Thursday, sending a package of draft picks to the Washington Commanders for former Penn State standout Jahan Dotson.

Dotson, 24, should slot into the No. 3 receiver spot behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith on the Eagles depth chart. With cutdown day looming Tuesday, it was a spot the team clearly needed to address and one significantly improved with Dotson’s arrival.

» READ MORE: Five things to know about new Eagles receiver Jahan Dotson

The deal announced by the team brings Dotson and a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Eagles in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick and two seventh-round picks. The Eagles had their own pick and the Miami Dolphins’ 2025 third-round pick before the trade. According to an NFL Network report, they will send the better of the two picks to the Commanders in the trade.

The team still has seven picks in next year’s draft, including three fifth-round selections.

Born in Newark, N.J., Dotson played part of his high school career at Nazareth (Pa.) Area High School before committing to Penn State. Dotson went No. 16 overall in the 2022 NFL draft, thanks to his blend of explosiveness and route-running ability.

He had 49 catches for 518 yards and four touchdowns last season as the No. 3 option in a pass-happy Commanders offense. The year before, he compiled 35 catches for 523 yards and seven touchdowns.

At 5-foot-11, 182 pounds, Dotson has experience playing both as a slot receiver and from the outside during his NFL career and has made his share of contested catches as well. According to Pro Football Focus, Dotson played 551 snaps on the outside last season, compared to 338 in the slot, giving the Eagles another interchangeable option to pair with Brown and Smith, who have each spent time working out of the slot this summer to exploit matchup advantages in new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s system.

The Eagles went through training camp with a combination of Parris Campbell, John Ross, Britain Covey, and Johnny Wilson competing for the No. 3 receiver spot. Campbell and Ross signed with the team this offseason, although Campbell missed a chunk of time with a calf injury before returning to practice last week.

Dotson has at least two years left on his rookie contract with a base salary of $1.57 million this season and $2.76 million in 2025. The Eagles could pick up his fifth-year option for an additional season, although the increase in salary may make that prohibitive depending on his usage over the next two years.

A 2018 graduate of Nazareth High, Dotson has participated in Smith’s celebrity softball game the last few years. Now, along with Saquon Barkley, he is the second Lehigh Valley and Penn State standout to join the Eagles from a division rival.

After the trade was announced, Barkley reposted a photo on social media of him and Dotson swapping jerseys postgame during the running back’s time with the New York Giants.