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An already thin wide receiver corps needn’t suffer after the New England Patriots placed JuJu Smith-Schuster on injured reserve. Not with rookie DeMario Douglas already breaking franchise records.
Smith-Schuster landed on IR with an ankle problem on Saturday, December 30, per the NFL.com transaction wire. He hadn’t exactly been piling up catches and yards before the news, but Smith-Schuster did provide a proven target for quarterback Bailey Zappe.
Fortunately, Douglas has wasted no time proving himself in the pros. The sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft already has the most catches by a rookie wideout on head coach Bill Belichick’s watch.
Douglas set the mark by snatching his 44th grab against the Denver Broncos on Christmas Eve. The catch broke the record set by Deion Branch back in 2002, per Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston.
Hartwell also revealed how Douglas has one more Patriots record in his sights: “At 517 receiving yards through 15 games, he needs just three more yards to surpass Aaron Dobson (519 yards in 2013) for the most receiving yards by a Patriots rookie since Belichick took over in 2000.”
In the process, Douglas has already become the latest in a long line of prolific slot receivers for the Patriots.
DeMario Douglas is Learning from Patriots Greats
Wide receivers coach Troy Brown was the first dominant slot specialist on Belichick’s watch. Brown’s overseen Douglas “continuing to develop his savviness and ability to play inside. Everything don’t always have to be full speed all the time. Just developing a good sense on how to play in the slot,” per Brian Hines of SB Nation’s Pats Pulpit.
Running routes with precision and variety are the keys to playing inside within the New England system. Douglas arrived from Liberty with a natural instinct for those things, but he’s refining his skills in a more sophisticated passing attack called by offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.
As Evan Lazar of Patriots.com put it, “Douglas’s routes often convert with options based on the defense’s coverage.” That’s because “O’Brien views inside receivers as top playmakers in his system.”
Lazar highlighted the perfect example of Douglas converting an in-breaking pattern into an option (whip) route against the Broncos.
Turning shorts completions into longer gains is often the remit of any slot receiver. Douglas has responded well to that brief, averaging just 4.9 yards before catch per reception, but still amassing 302 yards after catch, per Pro Football Reference.
While he’s mastered the core elements of his role, Douglas also needs to pose a vertical threat from the slot. He showcased the ability to stretch the field by snatching this 41-yard catch in Denver.
It’s the kind of play Branch used to make in his heyday. Studying the former Super Bowl MVP has helped Douglas outplay his late-round status.
The 23-year-old told NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry how keenly he’s focused on Branch’s game: “I’ve watched his film, how he was separating. How he was getting open, how he did stuff in his routes to get open.”
Douglas has been the active pass-catcher at multiple levels the Patriots thought Smith-Schuster would become. The latter’s injury is the latest letdown involving the receiver who helped the Kansas City Chiefs win last season’s Super Bowl.
JuJu Smith-Schuster’s Season Ends on Typically Drab Note
Smith-Schuster simply hasn’t made the grade since arriving at Gillette Stadium in free agency last offseason. He struggled to earn playing time earlier in the campaign and even got into it with Brown as frustrations boiled over.
The timing of being put on IR is cruel because Smith-Schuster appeared to be putting those issues behind him. His last game in a Patriots uniform was also his best, a four-catch, 90-yard effort against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15.
It was just the third time Smith-Schuster had been targeted at least five times in the same game. The 27-year-old still has skills the Patriots need. Namely, a talent for winning between the numbers and tallying yards after the catch.
Unfortunately for Smith-Schuster, those are also things Douglas is making core to his game. The latter’s emergence could prompt the Patriots to take the out they have in Smith-Schuster’s contract after next season.
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