When Jacoby Brissett first joined the NFL as a third-string quarterback with the New England Patriots, he had two main targets who were both under 6 feet tall and tough to cover.
It might be too soon to compare Demario “Pop” Douglas to established stars like Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, but Brissett sees the benefit of having a reliable player like Douglas on the team, even if he’s not as tall as some of the top receivers in the league.
“Obviously, he has short-area quickness, but he has speed to run past people and things like that,” Brissett said about Douglas after 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 game day.”
After a rookie season where he missed three games due to a concussion but still had 49 catches for 561 yards, Douglas is getting back to full speed after being held back by a hand injury.
He wore a non-contact red jersey in practice until recently and did not play in last Thursday’s preseason opener against Carolina.
Douglas, listed at 5-8, might be able to play in Tuesday’s joint practice against the Philadelphia Eagles and could be on the field when the two teams play again on 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 picked Douglas in the sixth round of the 2023 draft from Liberty.
First-year head coach Jerod Mayo thinks Douglas could have an impressive second season.
“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.”
