There are not many ways to sugarcoat it, the New England Patriots aren’t exactly loaded at wide receiver heading into the 2019 season.
With Josh Gordon suspended indefinitely, Julian Edelman out with a broken thumb and Rob Gronkowski retired (at least for now), pass catching options for Tom Brady are a bit limited as the Pats barrel toward opening night.
That leaves the door wide open for Phillip Dorsett to become one of Brady’s go-to guys.
Dorsett has caught 44 passes for 484 yards over two seasons with the Patriots. He also caught touchdown passes in the AFC Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Chargers and in the AFC Championship against the Kansas City Chiefs. Entering his third season in New England, Dorsett believes he has entered Brady’s circle of trust, and revealed how he got himself there.
“It’s going out there and making plays,” Dorsett told The Boston Globe’s Jim McBride. “It’s thinking like him. Being where he thinks you’re going to be. And showing confidence that you know what you’re doing.
“I believe I am one person that (Brady) can trust,” Dorsett added. “Obviously we’ve made some plays in the past — we’ve made some critical plays in the past — and I feel like we have to keep going, and I’m just trying to get better each day, honestly. He sees me working hard and I’m never going to stop working hard.”
Dorsett is not exactly a lock for the Patriots roster, but he is one of the only receivers on the roster that has experience with Brady, so that could work in his favor if he performs well through the preseason.
