Dorsett a proven WR option
But faces deep battle for roster
FOXBORO — The return of Josh Gordon provides an unexpected boost for the Patriots offense, which ideally can feature one of the league’s shiftiest inside receivers and one of the most physically imposing perimeter wideouts.
As was the case a year ago when the team traded for Gordon, the move also shuffles the pecking order at the position.
Among those potentially affected: Phillip Dorsett, Maurice Harris, and Braxton Berrios. All are vying for not only roster spots, but also playing time in an unsettled receiving corps.
Above all, Dorsett is glad to see Gordon return.
“It’s been great,” Dorsett said. “I spoke with him all the time (last season). It’s great to have him back. He was here in spirit and now he’s back.”
As for Dorsett’s standing on the depth chart? That remains to be seen. In an instant last season, Dorsett went from Tom Brady’s most trusted target — he caught 16 passes on 26 targets in September — to an emergency backup. The trade for Gordon, coupled with Edelman’s return from a PED suspension, bumped Dorsett out of the receivers rotation.
Now, he could find himself in a similar position. But Dorsett learned a long time ago not to get caught up in counting numbers or reading roster projections.
“I’m not a guy who is trying to prove other people wrong,” Dorsett said. “I try to prove to myself that I’m capable of what I know I can do. That’s the only thing that I really worry about. I couldn’t care less about what everybody else says or what everybody else says about me. What you can do is prove what you can do on the field, and that’s the only thing I really focus on.”
As Patriots coach Bill Belichick pointed out yesterday morning, Dorsett has been a “steady” option for the Pats. His 29-yard touchdown reception in the final minute of the first half of last season’s AFC Championship Game proved to be an enormous play; Dorsett completed the catch despite Chiefs cornerback Steven Nelson tackling him as the ball arrived.
Similarly, in the 2018 AFC Championship Game against the Jaguars, Dorsett logged only three snaps, but delivered a 31-yard reception to help ignite the Patriots’ fourth-quarter comeback.
“He’s been able to play in a number of critical situations for us through the years — either due to injury or game plan, whatever the circumstances were — so I think he’s been a solid player,” Belichick said.
Belichick has long voiced his respect for Dorsett. When news of Gordon’s suspension came down this past December, thrusting Dorsett back into a prominent role, Belichick called Dorsett a “tremendous kid” who had earned the “total respect” of everyone in the organization.
Now in his third year with the team, Dorsett always has appreciated his coach’s support.
“If you just come in and work hard, your work doesn’t go unnoticed,” Dorsett said. “And that’s all I do. I wake up and I just grind. That’s how I was born. That’s how my dad raised me. And I’m not going to change.”
Dorsett sat out of Saturday’s victory over the Titans because of a hand injury, but indicated yesterday he was fine.
With less than three weeks before the regular-season opener, the competition at wide receiver is heating up. Edelman projects as the No. 1 option. Gordon, who opens on the non-football injury list, was at yesterday’s practice but not in pads. If he is in shape for Week 1, undoubtedly he will be a factor, too.
First-round pick N’Keal Harry also is a lock to make the squad. Harry is dealing with a few minor injuries, but is expected to be ready for Week 1, according to a source. And fellow rookie Jakobi Meyers has solidified a spot with a dominant preseason.
That leaves Dorsett, Harris, and Berrios duking it out, maybe for just one spot. Each offers something a little different. Berrios is an agile inside receiver who possesses some long speed, too. Harris starred in the spring and in the opening week of training camp, using a combination of length and ridiculous hands to separate himself. Harris has slowed down in recent weeks, though, and suffered an injury that kept him out of the second preseason game. He returned to practice yesterday.
Dorsett, meanwhile, is the known commodity for the Pats. He declined an offer from the Seahawks in free agency to re-sign with the Pats, aware there possibly could be an expanded role for him in his third season in New England. Whether or not that happens, Dorsett’s approach remains the same.
“I’m a professional and I’m going to treat it like I’m a professional,” Dorsett said. “I’m going to work as hard as I can. I’m going to check all the boxes. I’m going to go out there and do what I do, work hard on and off the field and in the playbook. Just try to be an every-down receiver.”