The New England Patriots made a ton of moves this offseason, and one position they attacked perhaps more than any other was wide receiver.
Considering that the Patriots had probably the worst receiving corps in football last year, their dedication to adding more pass-catchers was entirely understandable.
DeMario Douglas, one of New England's top holdover receivers from 2024, opened up on the Pats' decision to bring in more talent at the position, and even though he may end up getting less targets this coming season as a result of the additions, he seems happy about the moves.
“When you've got [Stefon] Diggs, Mack [Hollins] come in, them guys good leaders, vocal leaders that ain’t scared to say nothing to anybody," Douglas said on Forged in Foxborough. "I feel like they added great strength and competition to our room."
Douglas led all Patriots wide receivers with 66 receptions for 621 yards and three touchdowns last season, representing his second straight solid campaign in New England.
Now, even though he is just 24 years old and entering his third NFL season, Douglas is an elder statesman in the Pats' receiver room, and he is ready for rookies Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III to make things interesting.
“And then our younger guys that came in, they add competition to the room for us older guys, and I feel like we push each other," Douglas added.
Douglas, who played his collegiate football at Liberty, was selected by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He logged 49 catches for 561 yards during his debut season, establishing himself as a reliable weapon moving forward.
The Jacksonville, Fl. native posted 79 and 87 targets in 2023 and 2024 respectively, so we will see if those numbers hold up with all of the new faces on board in 2025.
