The Washington Commanders will get a significant part of their offense back for Monday night's road game against the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles. Rookie wideout Jahan Dotson will return to the field after missing the past five games with a hamstring injury.
The 16th overall pick in April's draft, Dotson caught four touchdowns during the season's first four games. Dotson sustained his injury after catching a touchdown pass in Washington's Week 4 loss to the Cowboys. He returned to practice this week after practicing little during his five-game absence.
"I would say it definitely feels better," Dotson said Thursday, via the team's website. "I gave it way more time to heal this time around. Just being very cautious with it really helped get to the point I'm at today."
While he received a season-high eight targets in Washington's first game against Philadelphia, that was the only game he did not score a touchdown during the first month of the season. Dotson caught just two of his eight targets for 10 yards in the Commanders' 24-8 loss.
The Commanders went 3-2 in Dotson's absence. Washington won three straight games -- including an upset win at home over the Packers -- before losing a three-point game to the visiting Vikings last Sunday. Washington's defense has been one of the league's better units over the past five games, as it has allowed an average of fewer than 300 total yards per game over that span.
Dotson and Co. will face an Eagles defense that has been one of the NFL's best units throughout the 2022 season. Philadelphia is currently fourth in the league in scoring, third in passing yards allowed, fourth in third-down efficiency and fifth in red zone efficiency. One area Washington will likely try to exploit is the Eagles' run defense, as it ranks 20th in the league in yards allowed through nine weeks.
