The New England Patriots are now 4-2 in the regular season, which is honestly pretty impressive when you consider the absolute mess their offense has been. It is not just Drake Maye’s turnover struggles or the offensive line constantly getting banged up, it is this wide receiver room, man. It’s a revolving door, and not in a fun way. A.J. Brown just clawed his way back from injured reserve, only for the Pats to get hit with more brutal news days later: Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports they are placing Romeo Doubs on IR, marking the second IR stint for a big WR addition this season.
Another One Bites the Dust in the Wideout Room
This move is a gut punch for the Patriots’ offense, no joke. Rapoport confirmed the news, stating, “The Patriots placed WR Romeo Doubs on injured reserve with a shoulder injury and signed DB Elliott Davison to the 53-man roster from the practice squad.” Seriously, how much more can this wide receiver unit take? Through just six weeks of the season, A.J. Brown and now Romeo Doubs have landed on IR. And let’s not forget Mack Hollins is also on IR! It is a complete crisis. The offensive struggles, which include Maye’s turnover issues and the O-line’s health, are just compounded by this constant shuffling at receiver. It’s a massive blow, and you have to wonder how much more this team can endure.
Who Steps Up? And How Long Is This Going To Last?
With Doubs out, the Patriots are going to lean hard on Demario Douglas, Efton Chism III, and Kyle Williams alongside A.J. Brown. Tight ends Hunter Henry and Eli Raridon are also primed to see a decent share of targets from Maye in the coming weeks. Doubs hitting IR after Week 6 means he’s forced to miss the next four games. The silver lining, if you can even call it that, is he gets five weeks off while only missing four games thanks to their Week 11 bye. New England will be without Doubs for their Thursday Night Football clash in Week 7 against the Chicago Bears, followed by games against the Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, and Detroit Lions before that much-needed bye week.
His first shot at returning to action will come in Week 12 against the Los Angeles Chargers. By then, the Chargers will likely have been sellers at the NFL trade deadline, making that matchup potentially an easier re-entry point for Doubs. But for now, the Patriots are navigating a brutal stretch with an already struggling offense and an increasingly thin receiving corps. It’s going to be a tough four weeks, and they need players to step up big time if they want to keep that 4-2 record from completely unraveling.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
Leave a Reply