Pats Pulpit
The third-year veteran projects as the Patriots’ starting slot receiver.
One of the most potent offenses of all time, the 2007 New England Patriots ushered in a revolution in the NFL. Gone were the days of condensed formations, it was all about spreading defenses out and attacking out of 11-personnel packages.
While the league has naturally continued to evolve over the last 18 years, one of the lasting impacts of the Patriots’ 2007 offense was the introduction of the slot receiver as a starer-level contributor. While the role had existed previously, coordinator Josh McDaniels made it a focal point in New England.
Through the years, its importance did not change leading to productive stints out of players such as Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Jakobi Meyers (not all off them were pure slots, but they all still spent significant time inside the formation). The latest in that line of slot receivers? DeMario Douglas, or so he hopes.
With McDaniels back in Foxborough for a third stint, the third-year wideout knows his role in the offense could become a vital one.
“I’ve seen a lot of slots go crazy in this offense,” Douglas told reporters after Monday’s mandatory minicamp practice at Gillette Stadium. “As I practice, I see how it opens up and I feel like it’s all going to come together.”
A sixth-round draft pick by the Patriots in 2023, Douglas spent the last two seasons under offensive coordinators Bill O’Brien and Alex Van Pelt. While their offenses failed to come anywhere close to what McDaniels’ units accomplished through the years — for a variety of reasons — the Liberty product himself found a way to be productive.
After catching 49 passes for 561 yards as a rookie, he added a team-leading 66 receptions for 621 yards and a trio of touchdowns as a sophomore. His yards per game did drop from 40.1 to 36.5 between Years 1 and 2, but Douglas still managed to make a regular positive impact during an overall challenging 2024 season.
Now under his third coordinator in three NFL seasons, Douglas is optimistic he will get his production back on track, and then some. His first impression of McDaniels’ scheme, after all, has been nothing but positive.
“It’s been good. Once you’re in that book, it becomes like second nature,” Douglas explained. “Once you get in that book and you go out there and do it, it’s amazing. This offense — I love this offense, I can’t lie.”
In order to prepare for the offense, Douglas noted that he would be watching cutups of pass catchers who enjoyed success in it through the years. Julian Edelman is his go-to resource in that regarded, but he also pointed out new teammate Mack Hollins, who spent time with McDaniels in Las Vegas in 2022, as a reference point.
What he will be seeing on both players’ tape is their ability to block, something McDaniels has always asked his receivers to do. Douglas may have a...
