With A.J. Brown sidelined for the next four weeks, and possibly two more beyond that, the New England Patriots suddenly have a glaring hole to fill in the passing game. That opens the door for Romeo Doubs, and it opens it wide.
It also puts a bright spotlight on a debut that didn’t go the way anyone in New England wanted. Doubs was blanked in the Patriots’ 13-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks last Wednesday, and the opener was rough enough that it’s fair to call this his first real test in a Patriots uniform.
He was part of the sequence that turned ugly fast, getting targeted on Drake Maye’s first interception, then dropping a crucial pass one drive later. Doubs said he wasn’t “locked in,” and that mistake bled into Maye’s second interception on the next play.
That’s not the kind of start the Patriots had in mind after handing Doubs a four-year, $68 million deal in the offseason. At the time, he was viewed as the team’s wide receiver one before New England traded for Brown on June 1.
Since then, Brown has been the clear focal point of the passing attack. Now that Brown is out, Doubs is the likeliest candidate to reclaim that top spot.
And he has the résumé to justify it. The 26-year-old was coming off the best season of his career with the Green Bay Packers, finishing 2025 with 55 catches for 724 yards and six touchdowns. He added another layer in the playoffs, posting eight receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown.
That production is part of why the Patriots bet big on him in March. Doubs has shown soft hands and a steady feel for working the intermediate part of the field, traits that could matter even more now that Brown’s deep-ball threat is gone and the field figures to shrink.
Doubs knows last week wasn’t good enough, and he didn’t hide from it after the loss.
"I mean, it's always disappointing to lose in this league," he said postgame. "I've just got to be better."
The good news for New England is that this is only one game into the Doubs era. The bad news is that the Patriots are already 0-1, and if they’re going to keep chasing the kind of Super Bowl hopes they have for this season and beyond, they need their expensive new receiver to answer the call quickly.
That starts with rebuilding the timing he showed with Maye in training camp. Doubs still believes in the quarterback, and he made that clear when asked about him.
"I have the utmost confidence in him. I know what he can do," Doubs said of Maye.
"I've watched him and what he's done in this league a long time, and, like I said, this doesn't define him. It's just this league, it's always a pendulum in this league.
For myself, I'll just be better."
In Other News...
Patriots Suddenly Have A Trade Watch Worth Following On Defense
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For New England, the appeal is obvious: a player with pass-rush talent and a chance to help a defense that needs more impact at the second level. The buzz is that Thibodeaux could be had for a mid-round draft pick, which is the kind of price that can turn a speculative idea into a real conversation, even if the Giants are not ready to settle the issue just yet. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Rookie Is Already Filling A Role New England Desperately Needed
The Patriots used a busy April draft to stock up on help, and a few of those rookies have already found ways to matter. Caleb Lomu, Gabe Jacas, Eli Raridon and Namdi Obiazor all arrived in New England with different jobs ahead of them, but early in the season the team has seen contributions across the board. Jacas got to the quarterback for his first NFL sack in Week 1, Raridon put his name in the record book by scoring the first touchdown of the NFL season, and Obiazor has started to carve out a place on special teams.
For New England, Obiazors role may wind up being the most immediately important of the group. The Patriots are leaning on him and other rookies to help replace the special teams losses from last season, and he has already shown he can handle limited snaps with three tackles. It is the kind of quiet but necessary contribution that can matter more than flashy offensive moments, especially for a team trying to rebuild depth wherever it can find it. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Keep Tweaking Roster Depth With Another Notable Shuffle
The Patriots kept adjusting the bottom of the roster Monday, bringing safety Elliott Davison back onto the practice squad after clearing space by releasing tight end Shane Zylstra. Davison had already spent time on New Englands practice squad earlier this season, and the former Saints defensive back gives the team another familiar name to lean on as it continues sorting through depth options.
Zylstras release came with an injury waiver, another reminder that the practice squad churn is rarely just about talent evaluation this time of year. New Englands current group also includes several other reserve options, and the team has kept the door open with recent workouts for a couple of players as it tries to keep the right mix available behind the active roster. [Read more 🡒]