Between his solid rapport with Drake Maye, his knack for torching defensive backs during training camp, or Josh McDaniels’ track record of relying heavily on shifty slot receivers in his offense, DeMario Douglas seemed poised for a breakout season with New England this fall.
But through two games, Douglas has looked more like an afterthought than a focal point of New England’s revamped offense.
Despite reeling in a touchdown in the Patriots’ Week 1 loss to the Raiders, Douglas only posted two catches off of seven total targets in that 20-13 defeat.
His workload dipped even further in Week 2 against the Dolphins. Despite Maye’s impressive performance in a 33-27 victory at Hard Rock Stadium, Douglas played just 15 snaps in the win — finishing with one catch in the fourth quarter for eight yards.
It’s been a quiet start for Douglas, who was one of the few bright spots on New England’s listless receiver corps during the 2024 season (66 catches, 621 yards, three touchdowns).
On Wednesday, Maye offered some words of support for Douglas, noting that a dip in snaps or targets doesn’t signal a season-long trend for the talented receiver.
“The big thing with Pop is he’s done such a great job since training camp, since the spring, learning the offense, being in different roles,” Maye said of Douglas’ involvement in the offense. “Just stay bringing it. I think that the ball is going to find him. There’s going to be some opportunity where we can get him the football. He’s a great player, good with the ball in his hands.
“Just keep going. Sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way in the game play some weeks. … We’ll definitely find ways to get Pop the ball.”
If there’s any consolation for Douglas, New England’s entire receiver corps wasn’t exactly utilized heavily in Week 2.
While Mack Hollins and Kayshon Boutte both hauled in touchdowns, it was their lone catches of the afternoon — with Stefon Diggs leading all wideouts with four catches for just 32 yards.
New England and McDaniels put a premium on utilizing New England’s running backs, with Rhamondre Stevenson breaking through as the Patriots’ top pass catcher (five catches, 88 yards), and rusher (11 attempts, 54 yards) down in South Florida.
The Patriots will likely have more adjustments to make on the offensive side of things entering Week 3 against the Steelers.
As such, Douglas opted to take a positive approach on Wednesday when asked by NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry about his usage so far this year.