Broncos add ex-first-round pick to shore up receiving corps
Aug 30, 2023, 9:44 AM | Updated: 10:23 am
Former first-round pick Phillip Dorsett will join the Broncos’ wide-receiver corps. The 30-year-old, 10-year veteran is expected to sign with the team, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
That signing is expected to be to the practice squad, according to KUSA-Ch. 9’s Mike Klis.
His signing is a necessity for the Broncos.
They had just four wide receivers remaining on their roster after cuts. And one of them, Jerry Jeudy, could miss the regular-season opener with a hamstring injury suffered last week. With only Courtland Sutton, Brandon Johnson and Marvin Mims Jr. remaining, they needed another.
Dorsett, who has caught passes for six different teams in the regular season, gives the Broncos a proven depth piece.
The salad days for Dorsett came in New England with Tom Brady. Dorsett played three seasons for the Patriots (2017-19), tallying 881 yards and 8 touchdowns on 73 catches. He also added two playoff touchdowns during the Patriots’ run to their sixth and most recent Super Bowl win.
FOR PHILLIP DORSETT, THERE’S A RUSSELL WILSON CONNECTION …
… but it’s a flimsy one.
Phillip Dorsett was a teammate of Wilson’s in Seattle in 2020 and 2021. But a foot injury ended his 2020 hitch before he could play a snap.
Following an offseason and practice-squad stint in Jacksonville, Dorsett returned — albeit to Seattle’s practice squad — in 2021. He saw 12 offensive snaps over two games played as a Seahawk. He caught a single pass — but it wasn’t from Wilson. Rather, it came from then-backup Geno Smith during a 2021 game at Pittsburgh, when the Seahawks elevated Dorsett from their practice squad.
Seattle released him from its practice squad on Nov. 30, 2021. He moved to Houston, with which he closed that season and remained throughout 2022. He was reasonably productive with the Texans, amassing 364 yards and a touchdown on 26 receptions over 18 games. He started three times last year, as well.
That led to a free-agent contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. But they released him Tuesday.
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