Editor’s note: This is the second story in a 10-part series looking at the most intriguing New England Patriots players ahead of training camp.
• Part 1: Is the starting QB job Jacoby Brissett’s to lose?
Before last year’s draft, the Patriots tried to hide their excitement over the potential of a small wide receiver from a small school. They had worked with Liberty’s Demario Douglas at the Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas and thought he had a chance to become a good NFL slot receiver.
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A year later, Douglas seems poised for a big second season after leading the Patriots in receiving yards as a rookie. Let’s examine what could be in store for Douglas this fall.
History
As a rookie, Douglas quickly showed he was going to be a factor. He swiftly went from the roster bubble to the first-team offense during training camp.
After Kendrick Bourne suffered a torn ACL in a Week 8 loss, Douglas became the team’s best wide receiver. He averaged 48 yards per game from that point, and his total of 561 receiving yards was the most on the team. An impressive 26 of his 49 catches went for first downs, and he added 41 rushing yards on eight attempts.
Demario DEEP 😮💨@baileyzappe04 | @popshotta3
📺: NFLN pic.twitter.com/jBFww0eWoV
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 25, 2023
Offseason recap
Douglas always seemed like a good fit for a Bill O’Brien offense that leaned on shifty slot receivers. But there is more uncertainty about how he’ll fit into a scheme like Alex Van Pelt’s that utilizes more downfield passing and jumbo packages.
Despite that, Douglas was the Patriots’ best wide receiver during spring practices. He consistently made tough catches, including a couple in the back of the end zone where you usually wouldn’t expect to see a 5-foot-8, 192-pound slot receiver, and was the team’s top playmaker on offense.
There are still fair concerns about whether he’s the perfect fit for this scheme, but it’s abundantly clear he can be an NFL playmaker.
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X-factor
The X-factor for Douglas will probably be the same thing year after year until he shows he can withstand the big hits that come in the NFL.
Calling him undersized puts it mildly. Players who look like him generally don’t stay healthy for full seasons. So on one hand, it’s impressive that he only missed three games in 2023 due to two concussions he suffered. On the other hand, his head injuries were bad enough that the team considered shutting him down after his second injury in Week 12.
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It’s probably unreasonable to expect him to play 17 games this season. If he can play in 14 or more, that should be considered a success.
Reasons for optimism
This one is simple. Everything Douglas has done on the field since joining the Patriots has offered optimism. For an offense, and especially a receiver group, lacking in explosive plays, Douglas can provide them.
If the Patriots can have two other receivers emerge (perhaps Bourne and either K.J. Osborn or Ja’Lynn Polk), Douglas can slide into a natural role as a slot receiver where he’d do his best work beating man-to-man coverage. If all goes according to plan, he should be a reliable third-down receiver who moves the chains.
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Reasons for concern
Van Pelt’s offense doesn’t utilize three-wide-receiver sets as much as other teams, meaning the Patriots are likely to often have just two receivers on the field. It’s still unclear if coaches think Douglas is good enough to be one of those two receivers (as something more than a pure slot option).
The other concern is his ball security. Patriots coach Jerod Mayo came up learning from Bill Belichick, who despised turnovers. Last season, Douglas matched Mac Jones for the most fumbles on the team (each had three) despite only touching the ball 57 times. If he doesn’t take better care of the ball this season, Mayo could drop him down the depth chart.
What to watch in camp
Douglas is going to have some fun catch-and-runs that excite the home crowd at training camp. He’s easily the team’s best receiver at piling up yards after the catch, and what he does at training camp will be exciting to watch.
But more important is where and how the team is utilizing him in the offensive scheme. If the Patriots are going to use only two wide receivers more than other teams, then who those receivers are will really matter.
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For most teams, the slot receiver is a de facto starter because most teams base things out of 11 personnel with three receivers on the field. But Van Pelt has hinted that’s not what the Patriots are going to do. If that’s the case, do they trust Douglas to have one side of the field all to himself, or is his role limited to the slot/No. 3 receiver?
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(Photo: Eric Canha / USA Today)
