Today, the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots re-signed wide receiver Phillip Dorsett to a one-year deal worth a total of $2.6 million, along with a $500,000 signing bonus.
Dorsett, a first-round draft pick by the Colts in 2015, was acquired by the Patriots in September of 2017 for quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
Throughout the 2017-18 NFL season, Dorsett’s playing time fluctuated, and he finished the season with only 12 catches for 194 yards.
This past season, Dorsett blossomed into one of Tom Brady’s most reliable deep threat targets, and he played a huge role in the Patriots playoff games this past winter.
Dorsett is able to stretch the field vertically and use his sub 4.40 40-time to fly by defenders and catch deep balls from Brady.
In the AFC divisional round, he tallied four receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown. The following week, against the Kansas City Chiefs, he caught a critical 30-yard bullet from Brady in the back of the end zone.
Dorsett finished the season with a total of 32 receptions for 290 yards and three touchdowns — two of them in the playoffs.
These numbers are huge upgrades from his first year in New England, and as he gets more and more comfortable within the offense and with Brady, then these numbers will continue to grow.
This is a good start to the Patriots’ offseason, and he will play a key role in the new Pats offense that we see this fall.
