Matt Ryan, process-driven approach helped Jahan Dotson break through

FLOWERY BRANCH — After Jahan Dotson’s chance at a first impression came and went with only one catch for 19 yards in a season-opening loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Falcons’ receiver shared a brief chat with president of football Matt Ryan.

“He was just telling me I was doing a good job of getting open,” Dotson said Monday. “He said, ‘The ball will find you as long as you just keep doing what you’re doing.’”

Dotson appreciated Ryan’s words, and he left the conversation on the same page with the Falcons’ all-time leading passer.

“I told him, ‘I’m not really too worried about the results right now,’” Dotson said. “I’m super process-driven. I’m just trying to make sure I’m open on every single play to give myself an opportunity to make a play for the team and give the quarterback a window to throw me the ball.”

Dotson made a public concession few receivers ever do: He’s a yards guy. “Touchdowns are cool,” he says, “But I like yards. I think that’s kind of a little receiver thing.” And through three weeks, he didn’t have many.

He had only four catches for 41 yards, a byproduct of two games with subpar quarterback play and a third where receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson stole the show.

But the 26-year-old Dotson, a first-round pick in 2022, trusted his process.

“Whether the ball is coming or not, whether I know I’m getting the ball or not, it’s about putting good stuff on film — getting in and out of my routes, working on my release game,” Dotson said. “It’s just about the process. The results take care of itself.

“But for me, it’s about being available to make a play and about the process of getting open, and that will create opportunities to make plays.”

He’s steadily paid the dividends. Opportunities haven’t inherently come more often, but success has.

Dotson caught two passes for 54 yards and his first Falcons touchdown in Week 4 against the Saints. He hauled in two receptions for 54 yards once more against the Ravens in Week 5, including a 36-yarder downfield.

And in the Falcons’ 31-23 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Dotson had his biggest day yet. He recorded a season-best three catches for a season-high 87 yards and one touchdown. He only scored one touchdown the past two seasons combined. He’s scored twice the past three weeks.

Self-proclaimed “yards guy” or not, touchdown appreciator or not, Dotson has ascended into a bigger role in the Falcons’ offense — and the unit is better off because of it.

“I think ‘Han continues to show up for this football team,” Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday. “He does a lot of different jobs for us, and he’s somebody that we trust.”

There’s no better example of the Falcons’ trust in Dotson, Stefanski said, than Sunday afternoon. One play after a short fastball from quarterback Michael Penix Jr. bounced off Dotson’s hands and fell incomplete, Penix went back to Dotson on third-and-8, throwing a back-shoulder pass to the 5-foot-11, 184-pounder.

Dotson’s build doesn’t necessarily fit the profile of a jump-ball target. It didn’t matter. He came down with it anyway, giving the Falcons their first touchdown of the afternoon.

“I get discredited for my size a little bit, (and) people don’t think I have that in my skill set,” Dotson said. “Actually, when I came off the sideline, someone actually said the same thing, ‘I didn’t know you had that in your bag.’ And I told him I had to show him.”

The Falcons practice back-shoulders every Friday, so Stefanski wasn’t surprised Dotson made the catch. But those aren’t the catches the Falcons expect from Dotson, who’s hauled in grabs of 41, 36, 33, 31, 23 and 18 yards over the past three games. His 13-yard touchdown catch was his shortest reception in that span.

Dotson’s speed helps take the top off opposing defenses, which creates more opportunities underneath for London, Robinson and tight end Kyle Pitts.

“It helps tremendously,” London said of Dotson’s ascent. “He’s such a smooth route runner. And then when the ball gets in his hands, he’s special.”

And the Falcons haven’t yet tapped into that aspect of Dotson’s game. Of his 236 receiving yards this season, only 47 have come after the catch. Unlocking his yard-after-catch skill set is the next step for Dotson in the Falcons’ offense.

“He’s just a YAC demon,” London said. “So, once we get that going and he keeps on fitting into the offense and all of us keep on fitting into this new offense and building,
I think it’s going to be amazing.”

The phrase “YAC demon” wasn’t supposed to slip out, London said with a smile. One of his friends back home uses it often, and London has added it to his vocabulary. Dotson understands why — he thinks London, who leads all NFL receivers with 255 yards after the catch, certainly fits the bill.

And while London hasn’t yet called Dotson that to his face, Dotson acknowledged it’s an apt description.

“I take pride in when I get the football, I’m trying to make a big play,” Dotson said. “When I get opportunities, I’m trying to take it to the house. That’s all I’m thinking about. When I get the ball, I feel loose. I’m trying to get loosened up. I’m trying to just make a big play for the team.”

Dotson has also established himself as a viable leader in the Falcons’ locker room. After rookie receiver Zachariah Branch muffed a punt in the second quarter against the Bears, Dotson went up to him and the sideline and offered advice, telling Branch to forget about it and move on.

Branch appreciated the gesture, and he’s appreciated Dotson’s presence from the summer onward. Their roles fit a similar description — complements to London, Robinson and Pitts, and likely only a small prescription of targets each week. Maximizing them dictates the quality of their performance, something Branch learned from watching Dotson.

“Being around him, just his work ethic at practice and the way he prepares — he leads by example,” Branch said Monday. “That’s something you just look at, see the translation in the game as well, coming up in big moments. We have a lot of playmakers on this team, so you never know when your opportunity and when your number is going to be called.

“And just being able to capitalize on those moments are extremely huge, and that’s something he’s always shown and even told me as well. So, he’s been a great help for me.”