In a whirlwind few hours Thursday morning, the Commanders sent a conditional seventh-round pick to the Browns for kicker Cade York, released kicker Riley Patterson, then dealt Jahan Dotson and a 2025 fifth-round pick to Philly for a 2025 third and two 2025 sevenths.
News of the latter broke during BMitch & Finlay’s show while the guys were live in Ashburn…and, well, it just kind of confirmed that yeah, Ron Rivera’s talent evaluation may not have been the greatest, and there was a certain person Brian was calling out in the group about body language.
“I’ve been telling you this guy’s not getting cut, but it has not seemed to be going well,” JP said. “We discussed body language and lots of different things, and Dotson just hasn't really seemed like a fit throughout the summer. This is a first-rounder just a few seasons ago, and the amount of picks from Ron that are gone is remarkable. We did our best to kind of avoid naming names and I think nobody wants there to be bad blood, and I think Dan Quinn went out of his way to try to talk about how much he likes Dotson after the Miami game, but I think these guys showed up wanting him to compete.”
“They wanted him to be what they expected, and you know, we all make comments; last week, somebody said after Dan spoke they were probably trying to make him look better so they could trade him, and bam, what happens?” Brian replied. “We’ve watched things, and a a lot of stuff told me something was going on or something wasn't right. The ultimate thing is that when a new staff comes in, they're gonna make moves based off of their mindset and what they see going forward. They don't care if you're a first rounder from another regime or not, they have to make the decisions. And this is a point where you look inside yourself, and say what can I do to make sure this doesn’t happen again, or I become an asset?”
And, as the guys said, further proof that no one is safe as the Commanders completely rebuild.
“I like that it's proactive. Dan Quinn said there are no sacred cows, and there are a lot of organizations where a first-round pick, moving him out for a third-rounder two years later, wouldn't be allowed or accepted,” JP said. “But they are tearing this thing down and rebuilding it how they want, and I think there is real value in that. I do think it’s a pretty big L for Washington there, but the L isn't on the guys running the operation now. This regime showed up and what they cared most about was that everybody competed every day, and any thinking that draft status or situation should place you above other players was incorrect.”
“I’d much rather a crew come in and if they don't see something working, don’t see a fit, you make a move,” Brian replied. “You don't sit back and say, ‘well, I gotta just hold on,’ you make the moves according to what you see. A lot of people would see things not going well, but won't make a move.”
Take a listen to all of Brian & JP’s Dotson reaction above!