Smallest in Stature, Demario Douglas Facing Huge Challenge When Patriots Open Camp

He is literally just a man among some giants in the New England Patriots wide receivers room.

Mack Hollins … 6-foot-4.

Romeo Doubs … 6-foot-2.

A.J. Brown … 6-foot-1.

Even Kyle Williams and Kayshon Boutte … each 5-foot-11.

And here comes DeMario Douglas, listed at 5-foot-8 but likely much more like 5-6 or 5-7.

No job has been won or lost yet

When veterans report to training camp on July 24, do not count DeMario Douglas out.

Coming into his fifth pro season, Douglas posted career lows in 2025 with just 31 catches for 447 yards. With the emergence of Efton Chism, who rose up through the practice squad a year ago, there is again doubt surrounding Douglas, 25, out of Liberty.

Will he have a job in New England when final cuts are made?

His quarterback seems to think so.

"Man, since I got (here) as a rookie he always just does the right thing. He does the right thing, makes the right plays, makes catches," said Drake Maye of Douglas at the recent June minicamp. "He's hard to cover. Like I said, you can't guard him in a phone booth. He's so good at breaking off in man coverage. He's a mismatch. He's so hard to stay in front of. Looking forward to seeing his role grow bigger."

Year 2 in the offense could mean a spike

Douglas seems pretty content with his progress in his second year under Josh McDaniels' offense. He also thinks that the size of the New England receiver corps and its talent, with the upgrades of Brown and Doubs, can only help him raise his own game.

"There's so much competition in our room, the defense has to watch where everybody is at on the field," he said. "Going into the second year, you play with more confidence in this offense. It feels good to be in this offense for year 2."

Thought of as a potential heir to the Wes Welker/Julian Edelman slot receiver spot in the offense, Douglas hasn't been a pure slot.

Watch Douglas on deep 'over' routes

In fact last year, he and Maye did their most damage from the outside receiver spot, running deep over routes across the field.

He might find even more room with the likes of Brown gathering all the extra attention. But Douglas' performance in camp and the preseason games will absolutely be worth watching, especially deep into August.

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This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 11:00 AM.