New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas finished his rookie season with 49 catches for a ... [+]
No member of the 2023 New England Patriots drew more targets than DeMario Douglas.
The product of Liberty University led the passing game with 561 receiving yards across 79 looks, all while his 49 receptions ranked behind only veteran running back Ezekiel Elliott.
But the end zone was never found. Changing that is among the goals as an NFL sophomore.
“I feel like I can always improve in every aspect,” Douglas told reporters during his Tuesday press conference at Gillette Stadium. “But get a touchdown this year. Well, more than one. Yeah, touchdowns this year.”
The most productive rookie wide receiver during former head coach Bill Belichick’s tenure arrived in the sixth round. A 53-man roster spot was earned from there. He went on to appear in 14 games, establishing himself as a sudden starter in the slot by the end of October.
“It’s a blessing. I’d say it’s definitely a blessing,” Douglas said. “But I feel like I still haven’t done anything, honestly.”
A 5-foot-8, 192-pound “Pop” on a 4-13 team, Douglas finished with a long of 42 yards through the air. He also finished with 41 yards as a rusher and 56 yards as a punt returner.
“I feel like I always play with confidence,” said Douglas, who saw 45.7% of the offensive snaps. “If I can’t play with confidence, I shouldn’t be out there.”
The 23-year-old now starts again under new head coach Jerod Mayo, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, wide receivers coach Tyler Hughes and assistant Tiquan Underwood. And with competition on a restocked depth chart that is pushed by Kendrick Bourne, who sustained a torn ACL last fall and signed a three-year, $19.5 million contract prior to free agency.
“I’d say last year, that was my first year. That was my ‘welcome to the league’-type of year,” Douglas said. “But this year, I just know to come in, play with confidence, faith and come play with that swagger. Bring that energy to the team, like KB, how he brings that energy.”
March addition K.J. Osborn, plus JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Reagor, Kayshon Boutte, T.J. Luther and Kawaan Baker also reside in the wideout room for New England. So do Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk and Central Florida’s Javon Baker, incoming rookies who got the call in the 2024 draft’s second and fourth rounds, respectively.
But the No. 210 overall pick from last year’s Patriots class will have a hand in where the position goes. This time, in the No. 3 jersey he last wore on the way to becoming the tenth player drafted in Flames program history.
Organized team activities and mandatory minicamp are ahead in Foxborough.
“We hungry,” added Douglas. “Last year wasn’t good, so definitely trying to work to improve.”
