FOXBORO, Mass. — Bill Belichick kept it brief Sunday when explaining why the New England Patriots decided to trade third-string quarterback Jacoby Brissett to the Indianapolis Colts.
Asked why the Patriots pulled the trigger on the trade, which netted them speedy wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, the Patriots coach simply responded: “To acquire Dorsett.”
“If you want to get something,” Belichick added, “you have to give up something. That’s what trades are.”
The Colts drafted Dorsett 29th overall in 2015. Belichick declined to give an in-depth evaluation of the 24-year-old, who had yet to practice with his new team.
“He’s a pretty talented player,” Belichick said. “He’s a first-round draft pick. We’ll see. We’ll start working with him (Sunday) and see how it goes.”
Belichick added that he was unsure of whether Dorsett could contribute as a punt returner — an area of need for the Patriots in the wake of Julian Edelman’s and Cyrus Jones’ season-ending injuries. Dorsett has returned just two punts in his NFL career but returned 25 in college at Miami.
“I don’t know,” Belichick said. “We’ll see how it goes.”
With Brissett gone, the Patriots will enter the regular season with just two quarterbacks, Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo, on their 53-man roster. There’s a chance they could carry another QB on their practice squad, but Belichick did not indicate whether the team is leaning that way.
“I always feel that the best thing to do is to make the decisions that are best for the team,” Belichick said. “So whatever those are, that’s what I’m in favor of. I can’t tell you how that’s going to go. We’re not talking about papers on a magnetic board. We’re talking about real people. We’re talking about real football players. We’re talking about a real football schedule.
“So I’m going to make the decisions that I feel will put this team in the most competitive position to do that. That’s all I know how to do. That’s all I can do. That’s all I will do.”
With Brady entering his age-40 season and Garoppolo set to become a free agent in 2018, many speculated the Patriots would hold onto Brissett for insurance purposes. Belichick addressed these concerns by saying that having a competitive roster during the season is more important than planning for the offseason.
“In the end, we’re going to do what’s best for the team and make the decisions that we feel are best for the team,” Belichick said. “With all due respect, I don’t think there are any games scheduled in March. I don’t think there’s any scheduled in April. So what a team looks like in March and April is relevant, but in the end, it’s more about what the team looks like in September and — I’d say, more importantly — in December and January.
“We never try to build a team for March. We try to build a team for September and then, most importantly, November and December.”
Belichick also said Garoppolo “absolutely” still is improving as he enters his fourth NFL season.
Thumbnail photo via Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images
