Phillip Dorsett

Broncos Re-Sign WR Phillip Dorsett

Phillip Dorsett is returning to Denver. After spending the majority of the 2023 campaign on the Broncos practice squad, the veteran wide receiver is re-signing with the team, per Mike Klis of 9News in Denver.

[RELATED: Latest On Broncos, WR Courtland Sutton]

The former first-round pick earned bust status during his time with the Colts, but he’s still managed to hang around the NFL for almost a decade. His best season came back in 2016 when he topped 500 receiving yards in Indy. He also didn’t look helpless during his three-year run in New England, including a 2019 season where he finished with 397 receiving yards and five touchdowns (he also had a pair of touchdowns during the Patriots’ 2018 Super Bowl run).

Since hitting free agency in 2020, the receiver has bounced around the NFL, spending time with the Seahawks (two stints), Jaguars, Texans, Raiders, and Broncos. He got into 15 games with Houston as recently as 2022, although he only got into a pair of contesets for Denver last season.

Of course, the team’s receiver depth will look different in 2024. Jerry Jeudy has already been shipped out, and Courtland Sutton is away from the team as he seeks a new deal (although the receiver has not requested a trade). The team did bring in free agent Josh Reynolds and selected Troy Franklin in the fourth round, adding the duo to a group of holdovers that also includes Marvin Mims Jr. and Tim Patrick. Dorsett will likely be competing for one of the final spots on the depth chart, although there’s a chance he goes back to his familiar practice squad role.

The Broncos have also signed undrafted cornerback Quinton Newsome and waived undrafted receiver Lincoln Victor and undrafted punter Nik Constantinou. Newsome emerged as one of Nebraska’s best defenders over the past few years. The defensive back finished his college career with 147 tackles, 17 passes defended, and one interception. He also was a standout special teams player, perhaps hinting at his potential role in Denver.

Broncos Release WR Phillip Dorsett, DL Rashard Lawrence

The Broncos’ UDFA contingent became official Friday, and the 13-man haul left the team the task of moving two players off its roster to reach the 90-man offseason limit. The team has complied, cutting two experienced veterans.

Denver informed wide receiver Phillip Dorsett and defensive lineman Rashard Lawrence of their respective releases, according to the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel and 9News’ Mike Klis.

Dorsett joined the Broncos on a practice squad deal just after teams finalized their initial 53-man rosters last August. The former first-round pick, who failed to make the Raiders’ 53-man roster in training camp, played in two games and caught one pass in 2023. The Broncos were Dorsett’s seventh NFL team. The nine-year veteran turned 31 earlier this offseason.

Dorsett’s best NFL showings came in Indianapolis and New England. The 2015 first-rounder was memorably included in a summer 2017 trade that sent Jacoby Brissett to the Patriots; that deal came after Dorsett totaled a career-high 528 receiving yards. He has not come within 100 yards of that total since. With Houston in 2022, the Miami alum caught 20 passes for 257 yards.

Lawrence, 25, has been with five teams since August 2023. The former Cardinals fourth-round pick, who started 13 games with his original team from 2020-22, did not make Arizona’s first Jonathan Gannon-run roster last year and caught on with the Dolphins’ practice squad. He then bounced to the Panthers and Texans’ taxi squads. The Broncos gave Lawrence and Dorsett reserve/futures contracts in January.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/30/23

Here are today’s minor transactions and callups for the remainder of the Week 17 matchups:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Alualu is set to make his Lions debut after signing earlier this month. Given the injury issues Detroit has faced up front, the 36-year-old has the chance to see playing time through the close of the regular season and into the playoffs. Alualu expressed a desire to continue playing with the Steelers this offseason, but he remained a free agent deep into the year. His tenure in the Motor City could help boost his free agent stock if he wishes to remain in the league in 2024, though.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/9/23

We have our first flood of pregame transactions of the season today as teams across the league with games tomorrow utilize their two permitted practice squad elevations:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Promoted from practice squad: LB Brevin Allen

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

  • Promoted from practice squad: RB Myles Gaskin, OLB Benton Whitley

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC West

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These BroncosChargersChiefs and Raiders moves are noted below.

Denver Broncos

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Kansas City Chiefs

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Las Vegas Raiders

Placed on IR: 

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Los Angeles Chargers

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Reverted to IR:

Released from IR via injury settlement:

Broncos Plan To Sign WR Phillip Dorsett

11:06am: This will instead be a practice squad agreement, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. Waivers processed at 11am CT; teams can now begin assembling their taxi squads.

10:08am: The Broncos will again enter a season without their optimal receiving corps available. Tim Patrick will miss a second straight season, while KJ Hamler is off the roster. Denver’s top target, Jerry Jeudy, is likely to miss early-season time due to a hamstring injury.

While the team does not plan to move Jeudy to IR on Wednesday, it will reinforce its receiving corps with a depth piece. The Broncos intend to sign Phillip Dorsett, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Dorsett did not make the Raiders’ 53-man roster, being released Tuesday.

This Denver receiving nucleus has struggled to stay healthy since its inception in 2020. While Jeudy could return as early as September, Courtland Sutton represents the Broncos’ top receiver. The team will likely need to give substantial playing time to rookie Marvin Mims, who began training camp as a likely backup behind a Jeudy-Sutton-Patrick trio. The Broncos had been expected to re-sign Lil’Jordan Humphrey after cutting him Tuesday. It is unclear if the team plans to add both he and Dorsett.

A former first-round Colts pick, Dorsett never lived up to his draft slot. After making next to no impact from 2020-21, Dorsett did resurface as part of the Texans’ receiving corps last season. He caught 20 passes for 257 yards and a touchdown. The Broncos are surely targeting the 30-year-old wideout as a depth piece, but with Mims a rookie and no clear No. 3 target in place while Jeudy is down, Dorsett could conceivably play a role on offense for Sean Payton‘s team.

Dorsett and Russell Wilson were teammates with the Seahawks in 2021, but the former played in just two games with Seattle and caught one pass.

Raiders Reduce Roster To 53 Players

The Raiders cut down their roster to 53 players today. However, in the process, they were forced to move on from a handful of veterans:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

  • OT Dalton Wagner

The Raiders signed Jaquan Johnson early during free agency, and there was hope he’d provide some experienced depth to their secondary. Ultimately, the team decided to go in another direction, but that doesn’t mean the safety won’t quickly find another gig elsewhere. Johnson got into 60 games for the Bills over the past four years, including a 2022 campaign where he finished with a career-high 32 tackles and one interception.

On the other side of the ball, the organization moved on from some notable offensive weapons. Keelan Cole Sr. got into 14 games for the Raiders last season, collecting 10 receptions for 141 yards. Phillip Dorsett II joined Las Vegas this offseason after spending the 2022 campaign with the Texans, where he hauled in 20 catches. Damien Williams has close to 500 touches in the NFL, although he only got into one game for the lowly Falcons last season.

Raiders To Sign WR Phillip Dorsett

Josh McDaniels has recruited yet another former Patriots player to Las Vegas. Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports (via Twitter) that the Raiders have reached an agreement with free agent wideout Phillip Dorsett.

[RELATED: Raiders To Trade Darren Waller To Giants]

The former first-round pick was paired with McDaniels in New England for three seasons. Despite receiving passes from Tom Brady, Dorsett still wasn’t able to show his first-round pedigree during his time with the Patriots. In 45 games (eight starts) with the organization, Dorsett had 73 receptions for 881 yards and eight touchdowns.

After bouncing around the NFL during the 2021 campaign, Dorsett found a full-time gig in Houston for the 2022 campaign. The wideout got into 15 games (four starts) last year, finishing with 20 receptions for 257 yards and one touchdown.

Dorsett will be joining a new-look Raiders offense in 2023. McDaniels has brought in a pair of Patriots players already, signing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and wideout Jakobi Meyers. The Raiders are also rostering running back/special teamer Brandon Bolden and fullback Jakob Johnson, both former Patriots.

Dorsett will likely find himself behind Meyers, Davante Adams, and Hunter Renfrow on the depth chart, although the Raiders did open up some targets today when they traded tight end Darren Waller.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/29/21

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Designated for return: OG Xavier Su’a-Filo

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Texans, Phillip Dorsett Agree To Extension 

Phillip Dorsett has a new deal. On Wednesday, the Texans agreed to a new extension with the veteran wide receiver that will take him through the 2022 season (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790).

The new portion of the deal carries a base salary of $1.035MM with $300K in guarantees ($100K signing bonus, $200K for skill, injury and salary cap). He’s also in line to receive a $50K workout bonus.

Dorsett, 29 in January, now stands as the Texans’ primary slot receiver following Davion Davis‘ season-ending leg fracture. Before that, he spent time with the Jaguars and Seahawks. Now, the 2015 first-round pick could see more action that he has in a while. His last season of significance came in 2019 with the Patriots when he tallied 29 grabs for 397 yards and five touchdowns. All in all, he has 125 receptions for 1,643 yards and eleven touchdowns across the last five-and-three-quarters seasons.