Why Seahawks found perfect fit for offense in wide receiver Phillip Dorsett

Mar 24, 2020, 1:48 PM | Updated: 1:55 pm

Seahawks reportedly sign WR Phillip Dorsett...

Reported new Seahawks WR Phillip Dorsett caught a career-high five TDs in 2019. (AP)

(AP)

Editor of SeattleSports.com

The Seahawks reportedly have agreed to a one-year deal with free-agent wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, a 2015 first-round NFL Draft pick. And if there’s anybody in Seattle familiar with Dorsett as a player and person, it’s Jake Heaps, who was a teammate of Dorsett’s when both were seniors playing at the University of Miami in 2014.

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“A fantastic human being, a fantastic teammate, one of the hardest workers you’ll ever be around,” Heaps said about Dorsett on 710 ESPN Seattle’s Tom, Jake and Stacy shortly after news of the Seahawks’ addition was reported on Tuesday.

Not only did Heaps say Seattle is bringing in a good person to their wide receivers room, but the former Seahawks quarterback added that Dorsett makes all the sense in the world for the team’s offense.

“I think maybe this offense in particular with the Seahawks might be the perfect fit for Phillip Dorsett,” Heaps said, “and (it’s a perfect fit for) the Seahawks in terms of what they’re looking for right now.”

Dorsett played his first two pro seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and has spent the last three years with the Patriots, and while he caught a career-high five touchdowns in 2019 and had 528 yards receiving in 2016, his numbers haven’t lived up to what would be expected out of a first-round pick. The Seahawks don’t need to take into account what round he was drafted in, however, and the 27 year old could thrive in Seattle.

“He was a first-round pick because he had blazing speed. … We’re talking about legit speed here,” Heaps said. “… He’s been a productive player with the Patriots and he’s played a nice little role for them, but I think with the Seattle Seahawks’ offense he can play a bigger role (because) this offense likes to attack down the field. Russell Wilson is arguably the best deep-ball thrower in the game and Phillip Dorsett has the speed and ability to take the top off the defense and open things up for DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.”

Man-to-man coverage on the outside.@TomBrady drops a DIME to Phillip @Dorsett_4 for a 26-yard @Patriots TD! #GoPats

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The 2020 NFL Draft class is loaded with wide receiver talent, and while Heaps pointed out the addition of Dorsett wouldn’t necessarily rule out the Seahawks drafting a receiver, he made an interesting point about why the COVID-19 pandemic may have led Seattle to going after Dorsett.

“(Dorsett) might fill that third receiver role for the Seahawks potentially, and the reason why I say that is, I’m not saying it’s a foregone conclusion that the Seahawks don’t draft a (wide receiver) – I think that there’s still a good chance that that might happen because it’s such a talented group – but you have to consider this: The Seahawks and the NFL, they don’t know what the offseason’s gonna look like. It doesn’t look like they’re gonna have their traditional offseason with OTAs and all these practices under their belt, which would make it easier to bring on a rookie receiver.

“… If you’re gonna have a condensed, shortened-down offseason, I think you’re better off going with a veteran receiver that you know his abilities and what he brings to the table versus going with a virtual unknown no matter how talented that unknown may be.”

And Heaps has no doubts that Dorsett will get comfortable quickly in the Seahawks’ offense.

“He can run every route in the route tree, he’s not just a speed demon,” Heaps said. “It’s not that the Patriots or the Colts didn’t know how to use him, I just think that Seahawks’ scheme fits more of what Phillip Dorsett’s strengths are.”

Follow 710 ESPN Seattle’s Jake Heaps on Twitter.