The New England Patriots came out of the bye week with a strong outing against the New York Jets. One of the biggest reasons for the successful game was New England’s willingness to spread the ball around. Eight players saw multiple targets in Week 12’s matchup, which is obviously a good thing. However, the Patriots can still improve their offense by giving Phillip Dorsett a larger share of the targets.

Dorsett has been fantastic this season when called upon but hasn’t seen the field on a consistent basis. Since Week Six, Dorsett has never played in more than 23% of any games snaps. Even though he saw two targets against the Jets, Dorsett was on the field for just nine snaps.

The Patriots need to change this if they want their offense to be more efficient. Dorsett consistently gets the job done whenever his number is called, and he’s earned a bigger role in the passing game. Nobody is calling for him to usurp Josh Gordon or Julian Edelman, but the offense would be better if Phillip Dorsett saw more time on the field.

New England Patriots Must Use Phillip Dorsett

Phillip Dorsett was basically the only good thing about the Patriots passing game through the first four weeks of the season. Playing in 70-93% of the snaps in each game, Dorsett recorded 16 receptions for 165 yards and two touchdowns. This was easily the best production of any Patriots wide receiver over this timeframe and should have earned him a larger role moving forward.

The advanced stats confirm that Dorsett has played well when given an opportunity. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Dorsett averages 3.3 yards of separation on his routes. Only Julian Edelman and his 3.4 yards of separation per route are better among Patriots wide receivers.

Not only is Dorsett good at consistently getting open, but he also is great at picking up the necessary yardage for a successful play. Per SharpFootballStats.com, Dorsett has a season-long success rate of 52.9%. The league average is 51.7%, so Dorsett is more efficient than the average receiver. Success rate is basically used to determine whether a play puts the offense in a good position for the next play. For example, picking up four or more yards on first and ten would count as a successful play, as it gives the offense a good chance to earn a new set of downs on second and third down.

Dorsett naturally saw his snap count and overall numbers go down with the return of Julian Edelman and the arrival of Josh Gordon. Again, nobody is saying Dorsett is better than those two, and nobody is saying he deserves to steal their snaps. Edelman and Gordon are the clear top options, but Dorsett can be a highly efficient weapon as a third wide receiver. New England needs to start taking advantage of Dorsett, and that starts with playing to his strengths.

Using Dorsett Wisely

If the Patriots are to utilize Dorsett more in the passing game, they’ll need to be smart about it. Dorsett isn’t an elite receiver capable of beating a defense on every level of the field. This isn’t a knock against Dorsett, as guys like that are few and far between. Fortunately, nobody is better at utilizing guys to the best of their ability than the New England Patriots.

Dorsett boasts elite speed, running a 4.33 40-yard dash back in 2015. Because of this, people falsely assume that Dorsett would make for a good deep threat. While he played that role back in college, that’s simply not who he is as a pro. As mentioned back in Week Four, Dorsett is best used in the short and intermediate portions of the field.

As previously mentioned, Dorsett is slightly more successful than the average receiver. However, this doesn’t tell the whole story, as he’s significantly better on shorter passes. So far this season, Dorsett has seen 24 targets within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage. Dorsett has turned those targets into 22 receptions for 195 yards and two touchdowns for a 67% success rate. The league average success rate for short passes is just under 54%, so Dorsett is actually one of the best in the league in the short passing game.

Dorsett’s Skills Fit New England’s Biggest Needs

It’s no secret that the New England Patriots love the short passing game. Tom Brady is the best in the league at quickly getting the ball out of his hands and into the arms of his receivers. However, the Patriots offense hasn’t been as efficient as normal in the short passing game. So far, the Patriots are basically a league average offense when targeting the short portion of the field, as shown in the graphic below.

What’s most notable is New England’s -2% success rate over average on pass plays to the short left portion of the field. Despite the relative lack of success, the Patriots love throwing the ball to the short left. So far on the season, a team-high 36.9% of pass attempts have gone in that direction. New England clearly feels comfortable targeting this area of the field, and they should do everything in their power to increase their production on these passes.

This is where Dorsett comes in. The second-year Patriot currently has an impressive 82% success rate on passes to the short left, which is 29 points above the league average. This means that, when given the opportunity, Dorsett has been fantastic at producing positive plays on these types of passes. If New England starts giving him more snaps and more opportunities, Dorsett should be able to help the Patriots get better results in their favorite portion of the field.

Last Word on Phillip Dorsett

Phillip Dorsett has been incredibly productive when on the field, but the Patriots haven’t let him play all that much. The second-year Patriot has been relegated to fourth or fifth on the depth chart for seemingly no reason. New England’s offense isn’t bad by any means, but it can get even better if they start giving Dorsett a larger share of the snaps.

Dorsett is one of the most efficient weapons in football in the short passing game. Dorsett boats a 67% success rate on passes within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage, which is well above the league average. New England loves to use the quick passing game, so Dorsett should be a natural fit for this type of offense.

Additionally, Dorsett is at his best in the short left part of the field. Dorsett has recorded an 82% success rate on short passes to the left. The Patriots throw it to that portion of the field more than any other, yet have a below-average success rate on said passes. Incorporating Dorsett on these passes should improve New England’s overall efficiency and make this offense even better.

Dorsett deserves more opportunities, but replacing him straight-up for Chris Hogan isn’t the best idea. Hogan has actually played well this year, even if the results aren’t always there. Instead of replacing one for the other, New England should work on using these players situationally. If the Patriots are in short-yardage situations, Dorsett should be the guy on the field. If the Patriots are looking to stretch the field, Hogan should get the snaps. Having these two platoon as the third wide receiver will give the Patriots a more diverse and efficient offense heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

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