ESPN’s Laura Rutledge was set to come on The Chris Russell Show Thursday for a little cross-promotion with our friends at HoneyBaked Ham, but it just so happened that the SEC Network and NFL Live host came on just after the Commanders traded Jahan Dotson to Philly.
And yeah, a head-scratcher for her.
“It surprises me for sure, with Dotson being a first-round pick not that long ago, but I do think we've seen this Commanders offense look quite good with Jayden Daniels already, and his connection with Dyami Brown as well as Terry McLaurin,” Rutledge said. “So to get the draft pick return, which is pretty massive for Dotson, makes sense. I'm surprised it's in the division, the Eagles offense adding another weapon, and that makes you scratch your head just a little bit, but I do think the Commanders offensively will be just fine with the playmakers I already referenced. I'm gonna be interested if more comes out on this though, because it's one that I didn't see coming.”
But, Dotson there means one less weapon for Jayden Daniels, who she saw quite a bit of in her SEC Network coverage the last couple years, and she thinks he’ll be just fine.
“This feels like an ushering in of an exciting time for Commanders fans. I've covered Jayden Daniels for years all the way back to his Arizona State days, and seeing him excel at LSU, and we've already seen some of it in the preseason,” Rutledge said. “I know it's just the preseason, but there have been some throws that he's made that absolutely took my breath away. They're the type of throws that you just want to replay over and over again, and it’s why he was the No. 2 overall pick. It's why the Commanders were excited that he was there and they knew that they were going to be able to get him, and I'm excited to see what he does. I think he's going to be a massive success for this team, even if there are some bumps in the road as a rookie, but that happens to all rookie quarterbacks.”
A new leader for a new Commanders era that, on paper, is looking to be strong.
“This is a team that's been set up really well by Adam Peters; I've been really excited to see what he's been able to pull off, and Dan Quinn I think is the perfect hire for this position,” Rutledge said. “So I'm really positive about the Commanders going into next year, and it could be an interesting time in that division. The Giants are struggling in so many ways so we'll see what they can put together and the Cowboys aren't very deep and there are a lot of questions to be answered, a lot of contracts need to be done there, so I think the Commanders are a team to watch in that division for sure.”