Patriots Mailbag: Who are the 10 best players on the roster? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots are on summer break until training camp begins next month. Rookies are scheduled to report on July 19 with the rest of the team expected to join by July 23. The first practice is set for July 24.
We have to stay entertained until then somehow, so how about an offseason mailbag? Let’s get to your hard-hitting questions…
Morning Phil! With the addition of Baker and Polk to the current receiving core, I feel like Demario Douglas has flown a bit under the radar. What do you expect his role to be heading into training camp? Starter? Backup? Here’s to hoping he builds off his awesome 2023 season.
— Curt Field (@curtfield13) June 25, 2024
Is Pop Douglas the WR1 on the team, and is Juju likely to get cut?
— Trygve Johannes Lereim Sævareid (@LereimTrygve) June 25, 2024
Good question. The quick answer is this: It depends. What’s a WR1 to you?
If it’s the guy who leads the team in targets, it wouldn’t stun me if that’s DeMario “Pop” Douglas in 2024.
If it’s the kind of player who can align anywhere and be a go-to option in critical situations regardless of coverage? If it’s someone who keeps defensive coordinators up at night? I’m not sure they have that player at the moment.
For Douglas, the key will be staying healthy. His stature makes operating over the middle of the field a dangerous venture, but his quickness and speed make him a handful in there for defenses. He ranked fourth in the NFL last season in yards after the catch per reception because of his ability to accelerate away from corners, safeties and linebackers between the hashes. He’s a menace as a change-of-direction athlete.
But he’s 5-foot-8 and he weighs less than 200 pounds. He understood last season that he might need to adjust his playing style a bit to avoid contact when at all possible, when to get down to live to see another down. If he does more consistently in his second…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/patriots-mailbag-10-best-players-211747001.html
Author : NBC Sports Boston
Publish date : 2024-06-26 21:17:47
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