WR WARS in New England: DeMario Douglas Embraces Patriots' Revamped Receiver Room

The New England Patriots have brought in several new wide receivers this offseason to try and address what was the worst receiver room in football last year.

The Patriots signed both Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins in free agency and selected Kyle Williams in the NFL Draft. Not only that, but they brought in undrafted free agent Efton Chism II, who appears to stand a great chance of making the roster.

So, what does all of this mean for wideouts who were already on the team in 2024? Well, for DeMario Douglas, the stiffer competition is being embraced.

“I love them. I feel like they’ve brought everything to the room,” Douglas said, via Mark Daniels of Mass Live. “Straight competition in our room, and I love it. Every position, we got competition. So, those two, the four rookies that came in, they’re pushing us to get better. So, as we got people coming in who work hard, that’s going to push everyone else to work harder.”

Douglas was New England's top wide receiver last season, catching 66 passes for 621 yards and three touchdowns. Now entering his third NFL campaign, Douglas was already competing with Kayshon Boutte, Ja'Lynn Polk, Kendrick Bourne and Javon Baker for targets, but more challengers have obviously arrived.

Obviously, not all of the receivers mentioned will be on the 53-man roster come Week 1. Trades or cuts could be made, and it's also possible that someone gets sent down to the practice squad. For now, it should be very entertaining watching all of the pass-catchers compete for spots on the depth chart.

The Pats made it a point to find some more weapons for Drake Maye over the last couple of months, so possessing too many is certainly a good problem to have.