The New England Patriots have been in a few situations over the last two seasons when they’ve needed a receiver (or three) to elevate his game. In every one of those trying circumstances, receiver Phillip Dorsett has been on the roster, and has been unable to prove a difference-maker.
At the start of the 2018 season, he and Chris Hogan were unable to carry the offensive load while Julian Edelman served a suspension and Rob Gronkowski turned into a diminished version of himself. Throughout the 2019 season, the Patriots needed production from anyone not named Edelman. No one showed.
Dorsett has acted as an offensive tutor for the receivers that have come and gone in recent seasons. The Patriots seem happy to let Dorsett, a hard-worker on the practice field, in the gym and with independent film study, assist in the development with wideouts, like Josh Gordon, N’Keal Harry and Mohamed Sanu. By all accounts, Dorsett has done a nice job setting the tone in the receiver room. But coaches coach, players play. New England doesn’t really need to retain Dorsett because he’s helpful in the locker room.
The Patriots are going to be looking for bigger things from their receivers in 2019, largely because Tom Brady is reportedly pleading that they do just that. New England will stick with Edelman, Harry and Sanu. But the Patriots will also likely add another talented wideout who would shoot to the top of the depth chart. Because incoming talent will need reps (along with Sanu and Harry), the Patriots may decide it’s time to move on from Dorsett, who made big plays on occasion but couldn’t develop into the consistent threat the Patriots hoped he’d be when they acquired him.
