Colts grades: Revisiting the Brissett-Dorsett trade

The Colts made a trade at the beginning of the 2017 season to get a quarterback that they desperately needed, dealing with their heated rivals. Here is how the deal looks today for both sides.

Andrew Luck‘s shoulder thrust the Colts into action early in 2017. After they realized he wasn’t going to be playing anytime soon, they found a quarterback they could bring in. They traded Phillip Dorsett, a former first round pick, for Jacoby Brissett.

Having a trade with the Patriots was odd in of itself. But going out to get a quarterback was surprising at the time. It showed just how little faith they had that Luck was going to be healthy and how little faith they had in everyone behind him at the time.

That proved right after Scott Tolzien was a disaster as the starter in the opener as the Colts got blown out by the Rams. Brissett was then the starter for the rest of the season, despite having less than a month to learn the playbook after he was brought in.

How did that trade work out for each team now that time has passed? Brissett played well in stretches and had the Colts in several close games. His lack of knowledge of the playbook ultimately led to tough losses, as did a porous offensive line. But he showed he is a viable starter in this league.

Dorsett meanwhile has only three receiving touchdowns in the past two years for the Patriots. He hasn’t had a big impact for the team, and looks to be a bust as he was in Indy. Based on the results so far, it looks like the Colts won that trade.

Brissett will be a free agent after this season, so there’s a chance he moves on looking for a chance to start somewhere. Based on what he showed in 2017, he should get that chance.