By Gregg Bell / The News Tribune
RENTON — Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, Shaquill Griffin and the Seattle Seahawks’ remade, starry defensive secondary certainly have impressed so far.
They’ve stayed with freakishly athletic DK Metcalf on double moves and sprinting go routes through the first weeks of training camp. The DBs have sometimes blanketed No. 1 receiver Tyler Lockett on his tricky-fast moves.
But they’ve been chasing Phillip Dorsett, like Tom chases Jerry.
In vain.
The former Super Bowl-winning New England Patriot so far has been supersonic in Seattle. Last week, during the third practice of camp, Dorsett ran at Griffin then turned the Pro Bowl cornerback around with a lightning-like move from outside to inside. A few yards later, Dorsett sprinted past Diggs, clearing the Pro Bowl alternate by plenty horizontally across the back of the end zone.
Russell Wilson’s dart of a pass stuck onto Dorsett’s hands for the touchdown. Griffin and Diggs looked at each other with surprise.
“He’s the fastest guy we’ve ever had here,” Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said Thursday.
How fast?
The Seahawks haven’t had someone this speedy and accomplished at wide receiver since Joey Galloway was filing grievances with arbitrators about 100-day holdouts. That was 21 years ago.
Wilson was in fourth grade the last time Seattle had a receiving weapon this fast.
“He runs in the time realms we don’t even think really exist. You know, 4.2s and stuff,” Carroll said of Dorsett.
Carroll says he and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer have been so impressed by Dorsett’s initial splash with the Seahawks, they are going to spend the upcoming practices finding more ways to incorporate him into the offense.
“In our system with Russ and the way Russ likes to bomb the football, he’s a big factor for us. Matter of fact, we’re just installing stuff the next couple days that really accentuate some of those kinds of plays, and I’m really anxious to see him fit in. …
“That’s what you’ve seen. He’s gotten behind us a couple times.”
The 5-foot-10, 192-pound Dorsett was one of Tom Brady’s and Andrew Luck’s former targets in New England and Indianapolis over the receiver’s first five years in the NFL. His career-high of 33 receptions came in 2016 for the Colts, who that year had Schottenheimer as quarterbacks coach. Schottenheimer is entering his third year as the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator and play-caller.
Dorsett said this spring he almost signed with Seattle last year, after his contract with the Patriots ended. He decided to return to New England on a one-year deal for 2019. He earned $2.6 million last year for the Patriots in Brady’s final season with them. Dorsett caught 29 passes with a career-best five touchdowns last season.
“I could have come (to Seattle) last year, but I chose to stay in New England,” Dorsett said.
“I didn’t want to make that mistake again.”
When his contract expired he jumped at the chance to play with Wilson, Schottenheimer and Sanjay Lal. Lal was Dorsett’s wide receivers coach with Indianapolis in 2017 until the Colts traded Dorsett to the Patriots that September. Lal joined Carroll’s staff with the Seahawks as new receivers coach in February.
So Dorsett signing a one-year deal worth $1,047,500 with the Seahawks in March means this is a mini-reunion for him.
“I just felt like it was the right fit,” Dorsett said in May. “Seattle, with obviously Schotty being there and bringing in Sanjay, I was familiar with a lot of guys on the staff. And I felt like this is the right offense for me.
“Obviously Russell, he is a great quarterback. I think the way he plays quarterback, the way this offense is, fits my skill-set.”
It’s true the sunny Carroll gushes to the media about his players for everything down to getting out of their cars in the team parking lot each morning.
But his superlatives Thursday when asked about Dorsett, the 68-year-old coach calling him the fastest receiver he’s ever had in Seattle, sounded like he wanted to send a notice to defensive coordinators in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Arizona and Atlanta (for the opener Sept. 13).
The advisory: this is going to be a different Seahawks offense in 2020. One with a home-run, breakaway threat heading straight at your cornerbacks and safeties this season.
That’s the plan with signing Dorsett, anyway.
The Seahawks drafted a hulking, physical-mismatch of a receiver last year. The 6-4, 230-pound Metcalf set an NFL rookie playoff receiving record in January. Seattle also had a quick, savvy route runner to replace retired Doug Baldwin’s craftiness when Lockett took over as Wilson’s lead receiver and slot man inside in 2019.
But they lacked the burner who can blow those vanity towels off the waists of opposing cornerbacks outside.
They have that guy now.
Dorsett, who turned 27 in January, ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash coming out of the University of Miami as the Colts’ first-round pick in 2015. He’s averaged 16 yards or more per catch in two of his first three NFL seasons, with Luck and Schottenheimer in Indianapolis in 2016 then with Brady in New England in 2017.
Wilson has multiple impressive skills that made him the NFL’s winningest quarterback over the first seven years of a career. Throwing precise passes onto the hands of receivers 30, 40, 50 yards down the field is perhaps his most overlooked one.
That skill is looking even better so far with Dorsett running past everyone to catch those throws.
“Tyler’s been phenomenal at that stuff in the past,” Carroll said.
“And to have the complement, really, with all of that speed on the field at the same time — DK and Tyler and Phillip — it’s pretty dynamic.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
