Patriots fans have seen both sides of Romeo Doubs through his first month in New England.
There have been flashes that justify the four-year, $68 million deal he signed this past offseason, and there have also been stretches that make the whole thing look shaky. His debut was rough.
Week 2 brought a career-high 96 yards. Week 4 ended with two touchdowns.
Week 5 was nearly a blank, with one catch on three targets for 16 yards as New England rolled to 45 points against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The inconsistency has shown up in more than just the box score. Doubs has had drops on throws he should have finished, including the egregious, essentially game-losing drop in Week 1.
He also played a major part in Drake Maye’s lone interception against the Buffalo Bills in Week 4. And while A.J.
Brown’s ankle sprain in the first game forced Doubs into a bigger role, that only explains so much of the uneven start.
That’s why the early returns haven’t matched the contract, especially when Doubs is essentially filling the Stefon Diggs spot. He has not looked like a finished product yet, and New England has paid for a player it expects to be more reliable than this.
Still, there’s enough here to believe the Patriots made the right move.
Doubs has already shown the kind of upside that made him appealing in the first place. He had a 63-yard catch against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2, and he has been effective in the red zone, which was one of the main reasons New England wanted him. The playmaking is real, even if it has come in bursts.
There’s also a lot to work with in how he fits the offense. The 26-year-old can work short, intermediate, and deep routes, and he can line up all over the formation.
Josh McDaniels clearly values that kind of flexibility. New England just hasn’t been able to fully use it yet with Brown out and Doubs asked to help cover for that absence.
That should change if Brown returns soon, which would let Doubs settle into the role he was supposed to have all along as the No. 2 receiver. On paper, he pairs well with Brown, who can stretch the field and force defenses to respect the deep ball. And as the season goes on, Doubs keeps building chemistry with Maye and the rest of the offense.
The start has been uneven. The talent is still there. And for the Patriots, the bet is that Romeo Doubs hasn’t come close to showing his best yet.
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