Brandon

Dorlus

Dorlus went down with the knee injury in Week 17 and there was concern that it was a major issue. He won’t play in Week 18, meaning his season is over, but Morris said he would only be out for a couple of weeks. It doesn’t sound like this will affect his offseason routine at all, which is good news for the former fourth-round pick. His breakout second season comes to an end with 8.5 sacks and 26 pressures.

He was added to the report on Friday after practicing in full most of the week and was a “DNP.” DT Brandon Dorlus (illness/shoulder) joins Pearce on the questionable line, while CB Mike Hughes (ankle) has been ruled out.

Dorlus is a five-year player who became a movable chess piece around the Ducks’ defensive line, alternating between three tech and edge depending on the matchup. By 2021, he was ready for a starting role and an indispensable leader of the Oregon defense, earning First or Second Team All-Pac-12 recognition for three straight seasons from 2021-23. Though he has a tweener profile at 6’030/283, The Ducks’ captain showed out at the Combine with a 4.85 40-yard dash and 7.43 three-cone time. Ideally, Dorlus can put on some functional weight and transition to a traditional three tech or go to a team that utilizes a 4-3 alignment where he can forcefully set the edge and utilize his athleticism to create disruption in the backfield.

Dorlus (6'3"/284) is a third year sophomore due to the Covid waiver in 2020. He had 23 tackles, seven for loss, along with 2.5 sacks and two passes defensed. Dorlus had a breakout season in 2021 and will be a great boon for the Ducks who will be losing star pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux to the draft this year.