Phillip Dorsett has some folks’ attention.
The free-agent wide receiver, who spent the past two seasons with the New England Patriots, reportedly has piqued the interest of some teams around the NFL.
According to a report from The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin, citing a source, Dorsett has a stronger market than originally expected.
“But Dorsett, 26, a former first-round pick, still might do well for himself as an unrestricted free agent” Volin wrote Tuesday. “An agent with no affiliation to Dorsett told us that the market for Dorsett is stronger than expected, as several teams like him as a mid-tier No. 2 or 3 receiver. Dorsett had the highest catch percentage on the Patriots last year (76.2 percent) and has speed to burn.
“I’d like to see the Patriots bring back Dorsett for receiver depth, but there seems to be enough interest in him that he could price himself out of their market.”
Dorsett came to the Patriots in the trade that sent quarterback Jacoby Brissett to the Indianapolis Colts. While many had high hopes for the 26-year-old, he wasn’t incredibly involved in the offense. That said, he typically came through when the ball was thrown his way. Dorsett caught 12 of his 18 targets for 194 yards in the 2017 campaign and he reeled in 32 of his 42 targets for 290 yards and three scores last season.
He did elevate his game a bit in the postseason, scoring touchdowns in the Patriots’ divisional round win over the Los Angeles Chargers and AFC Championship Game victory against the Kansas City Chiefs.
With Dorsett, Chris Hogan and Cordarrelle Patterson all free agents this offseason, wide receiver is a pretty big position of need for New England. Dorsett could provide some nice depth and his institutional knowledge probably is worth something. But if some team is going to throw him heaps of cash, it seems unlikely the Patriots would try to stand in his way.
