It didn’t grab a lot of headlines when it happened, but the Washington Commanders had a stretch last year where they got rid of an incredible 3 former first round picks over the course of 4 months.
It began when wide receiver and 2022 first round pick (No. 16 overall) Jahan Dotson was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in August.
Next, linebacker and 2021 first round pick (No. 19 overall) Jamin Davis was released in October, then cornerback and 2023 first round pick (No. 16 overall) Emmanuel Forbes was released in November.
Dotson won a Super Bowl with the Eagles. Forbes got picked up by the Los Angeles Rams and made the team as a backup in 2025. Davis is out of a job.
After getting cut by the New York Jets on the final day of roster cuts on August 26, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox put Davis on his list of the NFL’s “Biggest Losers” after he was released.
After Davis left the Commanders, he landed on the practice squad for the Green Bay Packers then played briefly for the Minnesota Vikings before he was released at the end of the regular season.
“(Davis) flashed a bit in the preseason and got some reps with the starters during training camp,” Knox wrote on August 27. “However, Davis will now be looking for work again and could be running out of NFL opportunities … Davis has never developed into a reliable full-time player, and he spent time with three different franchises last season before getting claimed by New York. Davis looked to be an intriguing reclamation project for new head coach Aaron Glenn, but may now struggle to get back on an active roster.”
Commanders’ 1st Round Woes Go Back Much Further
The current salad days for the Super Bowl contender Commanders are even more incredible when we consider their struggles picking players in the first round go back further than when Dotson, Davis and Forbes were picked.
“(Davis) becomes the fifth first-round pick since 2019 who is no longer with the team,” ESPN’s John Keim wrote following Davis’ release in October 2024. “The Commanders traded their 2022 first-round pick, receiver Jahan Dotson, to Philadelphia in August. They traded two previous first-rounders — ends Chase Young (2020) and Montez Sweat (2019) last season to San Francisco and Chicago, respectively. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who was drafted in 2019, was cut in 2020.”
Productivity For Davis Fell Off Cliff in 2024
Davis got a fresh start with new head coach Dan Quinn and new general manager in Adam Peters in 2024 but had 13 tackles and zero sacks in 5 games before his release.
It’s important to realize he wasn’t always that bad. There was a time when he actually seemed like he might end up as a productive piece of the defense.
In 2022, Davis started 15 games for the Commanders and finished with a career-high 104 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 9 TFL and 2 fumble recoveries. He missed four games with injury in 2023 but still had 89 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 8 TFL, 4 pass deflections and 2 forced fumbles.
Davis still managed to cash in on his rookie contract, getting every cent of the 4-year, $13.79 million deal he signed in 2021.
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