FOXBOROUGH — Midway through Friday’s training camp practice, Tom Brady and the other Patriots quarterbacks spent time running passing drills with a select group of receivers.

The players tapped for the honor? They were mostly usual suspects — Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, James White — and Phillip Dorsett.

It looked like good news for Dorsett to be in such good company. The fourth-year receiver never became a major part of the Patriots offense last season after the team traded Jacoby Brissett for him in September. Dorsett, a former first-round pick out of the University of Miami, isn’t a lock for the roster entering training camp after a career-low 194-yard season playing 33 percent of the offensive snaps in 2017, but early signs have been positive.

“Sometimes working off to the side, it helps develop a little trust,’’ Dorsett said.

Dorsett’s inclusion in that veteran working group came a day after he spent a significant amount of Thursday’s practice working out of the slot. Dorsett has primarily been an outside receiver throughout his career, but it’s hard to catch on as a one-dimensional player in the Patriots offense. The team’s willingness to try to make things work in other ways with him could be a sign of its commitment.

“In this offense you can be anywhere,’’ Dorsett said. “It doesn’t matter what position you’re playing, literally, it can be inside, outside. That’s what makes this offense so great. The flexibility. All the guys have to be able to run inside routes and run outside routes because that’s just how it ends up.’’

Last year, Dorsett ran 36.6 percent of his routes out of the slot, according to Pro Football Focus, though he made more plays from the outside. That figure was up from 28.7 percent in 2016 and down from 47.3 percent in 2015, his rookie year in Indianapolis.

In college at Miami, Dorsett was primarily an outside threat who stretched the field with his exceptional speed. While its what he’s been best at in the NFL, the numbers indicate he’s had a more varied route tree than expected.

“It was something that I’ve always known how to do,’’ Dorsett said. “Certain coaches put you outside because of your speed. They want you to get vertical because you’re fast, but when you have a whole toolbox, when you can go inside and out, it makes you a better player.’’

The Patriots won’t really need a slot receiver, especially once Edelman returns from his four-game suspension. Jordan Matthews has experience in the slot and either Riley McCarron or Braxton Berrios could provide depth.

But the Patriots covet versatility and the ability to switch formations without substituting personnel. If Dorsett refines his inside moves, betters his understanding of the playbook, which asks a lot of slot receivers, and proves his straight-line speed can translate to quickness, he’ll have significantly enhanced his value.

“You’ve got to show that you can be able to learn it and be flexible, not just running a couple of routes, you’ve got to have a full arsenal,’’ Dorsett said. “If you show that I feel like they’ll move you around more.’’

One indication he’s capable: the NFL’s Next Gen Stats clocked Dorsett reaching the speed of 19.58 miles per hour on an end-around that went for 7 yards in Week 2. It was one of the fastest plays in the league that week, and Dorsett made it in a relatively small space without running vertically.

That’s just the physical piece, though. Dorsett will need to carry a heavier load mentally to become a better playmaker from the inside. He already went through a trial-by-fire trying to pick up the Patriots playbook on the fly last season after being traded for Brissett on cut-down day at the end of last year’s training camp.

Dorsett said he feels confident in the offense after a full season in New England, plus a nice offseason of work in the gym. He used his spare time over the summer to take up golf.

“Oh my gosh,’’ he said. “It’s terrible. I’m a little better now, but I was terrible at first.’’

Dorsett laughed at the suggestion the frustrations of a beginner golfer might be similar to those of a receiver learning a new playbook.

“Depends on the playbook,’’ he said.

If the Patriots can open it up more for Dorsett, maybe he’ll start to find his swing.

Nora Princiotti can be reached at nora.princiotti@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter at @NoraPrinciotti.