FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Never question that Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are committed to winning another Super Bowl in 2017.
The latest example that the Patriots are loading up for a chance to repeat came Saturday on cut-down day. It was the busiest weekend in the NFL for executives and head coaches, with teams juggling rosters, making and taking calls on the trade front and, most importantly, getting ready for the season opener.
The Patriots are operating on an even tighter deadline because they’re kicking off the season in prime time Thursday night against Kansas City. Yet that didn’t stop Belichick and player personnel boss Nick Caserio from making a series of moves, including pulling the trigger on a deal that sent third-string quarterback Jacoby Brissett to Indianapolis in exchange for speedy receiver Phillip Dorsett.
The trade helps the Patriots fill the void created by Julian Edelman’s season-ending knee injury. Dorsett will also be given a look returning punts. That’s perhaps the team’s most glaring need without Edelman and Cyrus Jones, who also is out for the season because of a knee injury.
Clearly, the Patriots felt that exchanging a third-string quarterback they hope never steps on the field this season for a 24-year-old former first-round pick who ran a blistering 40-yard dash (4.33 seconds) at the NFL combine two years ago was a worthwhile call.
It’s hard to disagree, especially if you want to win as many games as possible in 2017. That’s clearly Belichick’s focus.
For a year now, Patriot fans have argued about how the team will one day move on from Tom Brady, who turned 40 last month. Jimmy Garoppolo is the clear heir apparent, while Brissett was seen as the work-in-progress young player.
That trio gave the Patriots the deepest, most-talented quarterbacking group in the NFL, by a landslide. All three had started, and won games. While teams like the Jets and Dolphins are scrambling for quarterbacking answers, the Patriots were blessed with an abundance of talent at the sport’s most important position.
Now the Patriots have a 40-year-old starter and a backup in the final year of his contract who wants to get on the field and show what he can do. Does this mean Belichick has a feel for how much longer Brady will play? Will he cover his bets this offseason and use a costly franchise tag on a backup QB?
Those are questions to be answered another day, like after what is expected to be another Super Bowl run. That’s the same line of thinking Belichick used in trading away his first- and third-round picks in the 2017 draft for another speedy receiver, Brandin Cooks. It’s also a pretty good theory why he chose to keep Garoppolo as Brady’s insurance and not trade him away to one of many quarterback-starved teams.
Win now, worry later.
This trade could work out for both the Patriots and Colts. It’s certainly good news for Brissett. A third-round pick in 2016, Brissett seemed to be progressing nicely, especially for a third-string option. He stepped in last fall and led the team to a 27-0 win over an eventual playoff team (Houston) during Brady’s suspension. He played every snap in Thursday’s final preseason game against the New York Giants and made several eye-opening plays while completing 28 of 39 passes for 341 yards and four TDs.
It clearly was a performance that caught the eyes of the Colts. Their franchise quarterback, Andrew Luck, is recovering from shoulder surgery and hasn’t thrown a pass yet in training camp. Luck should be back soon, but in the meantime Scott Tolzien and Stephen Morris are fighting for the starting job and not showing much. Enter Brissett, who at worst could emerge as the backup, or at best a starter if Luck struggles to get back on the field this season.
Dorsett, 24, could be one of those players who needs a change of scenery. Luck found him only 33 times last season, and after two years, the former first-round pick out of Miami was deemed a bust in some quarters.
In New England, he’ll simply be a piece of the puzzle. He’ll get the chance to connect with Brady and fit in with a group that includes Cooks, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola and Malcolm Mitchell. Brady can’t wait to split out both Cooks and Dorsett and see which one can fly by his defender faster. Sprinkle in pass-catching backs Rex Burkhead, James White and Dion Lewis, add a healthy Rob Gronkowski, and the Patriots offense should rank among the NFL’s most explosive.
The Patriots could have sat tight and continued developing Brissett. Instead, they chose to give Brady another speedy option. It’s just another sign the Patriots are intent on winning a sixth Super Bowl.
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