Since the start of the season, and even stemming from the summer, concerns have been raised about the Patriots’ receiving corps and if enough was done to improve the group. Although a player like Stefon Diggs was signed and he’s the best weapon they’ve had in years, we had yet to see his breakout performance in a Patriots uniform, which fortunately changed in the win against the Panthers.

Expectations were not only high for the veteran once the regular season began, though, especially since DeMario Doulgas looked to have the most explosive training camp of almost every wide receiver not named Efton Chism III. He looked primed to have the best season of his career with the slot receiver guru back to calling the offense, but that has been far from the case over the last four weeks.

Douglas has become almost nonexistent within the Patriots’ offense to start the 2025 season, and he saw a record low snap count on Sunday, with just two snaps in the first half of the game.

By the end of the day, he totaled just two snaps in the first half, further raising questions about his fit in the new offensive game plan.

DeMario Douglas continues to look like he’s being phased out of the Patriots’ offense

Since being drafted in the sixth round in 2023, Douglas has slowly but surely become a staple of the Patriots’ offense and had a breakout season in 2024, despite the team’s ongoing dysfunction on and off the field.

He had clearly developed chemistry with rookie Drake Maye and looked well on his way to becoming the quarterback’s favorite target, which looked like it would be his future this season. That was made apparent with his excellent performance during the offseason, and it looked like things were in his favor as one of the few returning receivers that Maye had played with.

That should be what we’ve witnessed through four games this season, but it has actually been the complete opposite instead.

There were some concerns about Douglas’ usage once Diggs was signed, as both often or exclusively play in the slot on game day, and that appears to be McDaniels’ plan this season. It has resulted in Douglas being almost completely sidelined and a non-factor, with many wondering if we will see a resurgence from the receiver at some point this year.

We know what he’s capable of, as we saw last season when he recorded 66 receptions for 621 yards and three touchdowns. This season, however, he’s not getting opportunities, and seeing his snap count decrease doesn’t bode well for what’s to come, even more so after a breakout game from Diggs.

It’s impossible to know what’s to come for Douglas, and there is (of course) a chance he will be incorporated into the game plan more for the rest of the season. We’ve seen a shift with the offense from week to week so far, so nothing should be considered final just yet.