It’s that time of year folks. If you notice more trades than usual happening in the NFL, that’s because the NFL roster cut deadline is looming. Teams must cut down to 53 players by August 27th at 4 PM ET. 

A lot of teams know which guys are on the bubble and they also know that other teams could be interested in scooping them up. So, the shopping period has begun to see if they can recover any value before outright releasing them next week.

We saw this with the minor trade of Cleveland Browns kicker Cade York being sent to the Commanders for a conditional 7th round pick. The full details haven’t emerged, but the assumptions are that the pick might increase to a 6th if York ends up as the starting kicker for the Commanders. 

This comes after Washington kicker Brandon McManus was released after sexual assault allegations. But that’s not the biggest trade to hit the wire – and the Commanders are involved in this one as well. 

Former first round pick Jahan Dotson has been sent to the Eagles along with a fifth-round pick in exchange for a third round pick and two sevenths in 2025. That comes after it was rumored that Dotson might not even make the Commander's roster. Let’s take a look at the impact for both teams. 

 

 

 

Jahan Dotson Traded To The Philadelphia Eagles: Fantasy Impact

The Eagles obviously have their top two options in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. But they have yet to really find a solid WR3 after dabbling with options like Julio Jones or Quez Watkins. They signed journeyman slot receiver Parris Campbell this offseason and there was also some steam gaining for the 6’6” rookie Johnny Wilson out of Florida State.

Dotson should now get every opportunity to earn that gig though he likely needs an injury to Brown, Smith or, at the very least, tight end Dallas Goedert to have some fantasy relevancy. 

 

 

 

Jahan Dotson Traded From The Washington Commanders: Fantasy Impact

This is where it gets a lot more interesting for fantasy football. Terry McLaurin is obviously the number one. After that, it’s pretty open. They have the speedy field stretcher Dyami Brown – maybe he could take advantage of the opportunity? 

They have Olamide Zaccheaus and Jamison Crowder, who have bounced around the league. Third round pick Luke McCaffrey, brother of star running back Christian McCaffrey, should get a boost in fantasy drafts. And Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint (who we just wrote about in our Deep WR Sleepers to Watch article) could also secure a roster spot.

The most interesting aspect to keep an eye on in our opinion is the path this opens up for the tight ends. The Commander signed veteran Zach Ertz, who has experience in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. They also drafted rookie Ben Sinnott with their earliest pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. 

If one of them could run away with the pass-catching tight end role in that offense, they could be a top two target on the team – a key condition for tight end upside. Just look at what happened with Trey McBride in Arizona last year when Zach Ertz went down…