FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — When Jacoby Brissett broke into the NFL as a third-string quarterback with the New England Patriots, two of Tom Brady’s primary options who were difficult to cover were under 6 feet tall.
It might be too early in Demario “Pop” Douglas’ career to place him in the same category as proven winners such as Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. But Brissett admits to seeing the value of having the reliability of Douglas’ caliber on the roster — even if he isn’t as tall as some of the league’s top receivers.
“Obviously, he has short-area quickness, but he has speed to run past people and things like that,” Brissett said when asked about Douglas following Monday’s training camp practice. “It’s been cool to see the evolution of how we’re going to use Pop. I’m just hoping it continues to build and translates to the field on gameday.”
Coming off a rookie season where he missed three games because of a concussion but still managed to have 49 receptions for 561 receiving yards, Douglas is getting up to speed after being slowed by a hand injury. He wore a non-contact red jersey in practice until this past weekend. Douglas was not featured during last Thursday’s preseason opener against Carolina.
Just in time for Tuesday’s joint practice against the Philadelphia Eagles, Douglas — listed at 5-8 — could play when the two teams meet Thursday night in the second preseason game.
“It feels great. I’m back live,” Douglas said. “I want to make a play every time the ball comes my way.”
The Patriots selected Douglas in the sixth round of the 2023 draft out of Liberty.
First-year head coach Jerod Mayo believes Douglas’ second season has the potential to be special.
“He is a smaller guy, but he’s very elusive. Just his ultimate competitive attitude, I think he really helps the offense go as far as energy is concerned,” Mayo said.
“Pop’s a great player. If he’s getting double-teamed, that’s better for everyone else. I’m not sure how teams look at him, he’s a good player and we’ll see how, on a game-by-game basis, how they respond.”
For Douglas, there’s a level of comfort in his second season.
“I’m getting the hang of it. This year, I came in knowing what to expect and what to do,” Douglas said. “I know what it takes to spread out the defense and get open.”
The excitement for Douglas is also apparent among the fans, who have clamored for him to sign autographs after practice.
“Seeing people with my jersey number on, it’s different for sure,” he said.
The Patriots may not have a clear-cut No. 1 receiver, yet Douglas doesn’t see that as a drawback. To him, everyone — rookie Ja’Lynn Polk or veteran Kendrick Bourne — has the potential to be the primary option. Douglas also downplayed any thought that he will be the preferred target of Brissett — or rookie QB Drake Maye — when the regular season arrives next month.
“We’ve got a bunch of No. 1s. I wouldn’t single anyone out,” Douglas said. “If one eats, we all eat.”
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