New England Patriots wide receiver Phillip Dorsett has become an important component of the team's offense, just ask quarterback Tom Brady.
Dorsett came to New England just prior to the 2017 season when the Patriots traded quarterback Jacoby Brissett to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for the 26-year-old wideout. He didn't make much of an impact in either the 2017 or 2018 regular seasons, but that changed in the 2018 playoffs, when Dorsett caught touchdown passes from Brady in both the AFC Divisional Round and AFC Championship Game victories.
The veteran wide receiver is off to a fantastic start in 2019. Dorsett has tallied 13 receptions for 187 yards and three touchdowns through the first three weeks. Dependability is vital, especially for Brady, and Dorsett has become a very reliable weapon for the 42-year-old quarterback. In fact, Dorsett has 13 receptions on 14 total targets from Brady this season. Dorsett, at one point during the second half of Sunday's win over the New York Jets, had caught passes on 26 consecutive regular season targets from Brady dating back to 2018.
Dorsett has made a tremendous effort to improve and learn the offense since arriving in New England, and he's elevated himself to a player who, in Brady's view, the Patriots really count on each week.
"He’s done a great job for us," Brady told reporters after Wednesday's practice. "He’s making a lot of plays for us, we put him all over the field. He just continues to improve. I think this has been a big year for Phil. He’s worked really hard, put himself in a great position to take advantage of his opportunities, and he’s certainly done it. Everyone’s happy for Phil. Nobody deserves it more than him, and he’s going to need to keep doing it.
"He’s one of the guys that’s now become one of the people on the team that you just have to count on week-to-week and you have to know exactly what you’re going to get. Because there’s sometimes where you don’t – he was one of those guys before that was like, ‘Man, we don’t know.’ He was new here. There were other guys that carried a burden. And I think the veteran players who have been around, been in the tough games, know how to do it, you’ve got to carry the burden while the other guys can get up to speed and learn. So, that’s part of the responsibility as a veteran player, for a guy like Phil, for a guy like Julian, James White, Joe Thuney. You know, they were all young players at one point. Now they’ve become the veteran players that they’ve got to carry most of the burden."
New England Patriots
The Patriots, especially after the release of Antonio Brown, don't have rock-solid depth (or experience) at the wide receiver position.
Veteran wideout Julian Edelman picked up a rib injury on Sunday, and even though x-rays reportedly were negative and he returned to practice (as a limited participant) Wednesday, it's still unclear if the reigning Super Bowl MVP will play against the Buffalo Bills in Week 4. Josh Gordon also has enjoyed a very good start to the season, but the 28-year-old wide receiver has been suspended multiple times (including as recently as last December) in his career, so it's hard to be completely confident that he'll be on the field all season. Three other Patriots wide receivers are rookies, including Jakobi Meyers, Gunner Olszewski and N'Keal Harry (currently on injured reserve).
Dorsett is no longer a complimentary piece for New England. He now plays a crucial role, and the Patriots need him to consistently play at a high level if their offense is going to execute at an optimal rate.
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