Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson will play in Monday’s contest against the Philadelphia Eagles, marking his return from a five-game absence with a hamstring injury.
Dotson was a full participant in practice over the last two days, with coach Ron Rivera saying that the rookie had a “good week.” The return is a boost for the Commanders as the 22-year-old had an impactful start to the season before getting hurt during a Week 4 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. In four games, Dotson had 12 catches for 152 yards for four touchdowns. The 22-year-old was particularly a factor in the red zone, where his precise route running helped him get open.
“He’s looked good progressively each day,’ Rivera said. “He’s gotten better and better. Yesterday when he finished, he reported no soreness, and then this morning he reported no issues. So, we feel pretty comfortable moving forward. We don’t expect him to have a setback or anything, we really don’t. We thought he had a good week because his preparation just seemed to be ramped up each day. Each day he’d come in and you know, ’Hey, I don’t feel anything. I feel really good, really comfortable.’ Next morning, he’d come in, ’Hey, I’m doing this, this has been really good.’ So, that’s why we’re going to move forward with him.”
Though Dotson is available, the Commanders listed running back J.D. McKissic (neck) and linebackers Cole Holcomb (foot) and David Mayo (hamstring) as out.
Rivera also said that defensive end Chase Young’s status for Monday has yet to be determined. The 23-year-old — aiming to make his season debut a year after tearing his ACL — will be evaluated Sunday to make the final call. But the coach sounded pessimistic about Young’s chances as he noted the Commanders kept Young out of practice Thursday because the team practiced inside its practice bubble — costing Young another day of progress.
Rivera said Young has made “incremental progress” since the former first-rounder returned to practice two weeks ago. Young is on the Physically Unable to Perform list and the Commanders have until Nov. 22 to decide whether to activate him to the roster or place him on a season-ending injured reserve.
“We’ll see how he progresses,” Rivera said of Young. “The big thing is we’re not going to play him unless he’s absolutely ready to roll. He’s had a couple of good practices. It’s just that there’s some things, just right now, (he) isn’t comfortable doing, which we get.
“But the things that he does, he’s doing them pretty doggone well. We’re pretty excited about that. It’s just a matter of now, the conditioning aspect getting ramped up and the confidence. And that only comes with reps and practice.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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