Romeo Doubs took a leap forward in an expanded role with the New England Patriots in Week 2, but more consistency is needed to be a reliable top option in the receiver room moving forward.
It’s no secret that Romeo Doubs got off to a rough start in his New England Patriots debut.
During New England’s season-opening loss at the Seattle Seahawks, Doubs was targeted three times, recorded no catches, and had one critical drop in the fourth quarter. In one of the most difficult turns of the early stretch of the year, the very next play that followed Doubs’ blunder resulted in Drake Maye’s second of three fourth quarter interceptions. Seattle was able to capture their first and only lead of the night, and cemented the comeback victory late.
More pressure was put on Doubs to have a bounce back performance for the Patriots when they lined up against the Pittsburgh Steelers this past Sunday. With A.J. Brown sidelined on injured reserve due to a high ankle sprain, Doubs was set to take a step forward in production and target share.
He did just that.
Signs of Growth
Sep 20, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Romeo Doubs (87) makes a catch against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn ImagesDoubs’ three catches and 96 receiving yards were team highs in Week 2, and his 63-yard reception from Maye in the third quarter was a career-long gain. Beyond the box score, however, there is still room for the free agent signing to showcase further growth.
Against Pittsburgh, Doubs registered two receptions that converted first downs for New England. Each of those plays featured Maye rolling out of the pocket and connecting with the receiver while on the run. The first play — a scramble right — saw Doubs extend his initial out route up the sideline to find the soft spot in the Steelers’ zone coverage and present an open target for his quarterback.
The second was the aforementioned 63-yard gain, which came on a dash pass concept — or designed delayed rollout — from Maye, where Doubs sold a crossing route left and broke back to the right corner to uncover late. That play was the second time in as many games that Doubs was targeted on a dash pass, with the other being his drop against Seattle in Week 1.
Moving Maye’s launch point outside of the pocket to his right has been an effective way for the Patriots’ offense to cut his reads in half, as he only has to work through receivers to the side he’s moving towards, and it’s also been used as a strategy to get Doubs the ball in rhythm. Aside from those plays, the quarterback and receiver are still building chemistry that was also slow to develop through training camp — and that’s been on display for the entire league to see through two weeks of live action.
In the season-opener, Doubs was left uncovered on a first quarter vertical route concept from a stack formation that New England returned to at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The Seahawks were ready for it when Maye forced a target his way — that resulted in his first interception.
In Week 2, Doubs’ first reception resulted in a fumble that rolled harmlessly out-of-bounds near the first down marker. His final target was on a 3rd-and-9 slant route that would have moved the chains, but the pass was slightly behind the receiver and he dropped it. Minus his two big plays on Maye rollouts, Doubs’ inefficiencies continued in the second game of the season, and aren’t a positive sign moving forward as the de facto number-one receiver in the room until Brown returns.
Room For Improvement
Sep 20, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Romeo Doubs (87) runs after a catch against Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Jamel Dean (35) in the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn ImagesOverall, Doubs has been targeted seven times by Maye in 2026. He’s recorded two drops and with one interception, he’s accounted for a passer rating of just 50.3 when targeted, which ranks 64th of 78 qualifying wide receivers (per PFF).
The former Green Bay Packers’ wide receiver has had his fair share of issues with drops in the past, but it’s been nowhere near the current mark of 40.0% he holds in the early part of 2026. Doubs has worked diligently to lower his 10.6% drop rate from his rookie season to just 5.2% in 2025, but did have a flare-up in 2024 at 9.8%. Certainly not awe-inspiring figures, but more than enough reason to justify that those currently high numbers will come down substantially with more targets in the coming weeks.
More positively, Doubs’ 9.4% target share in Week 1 took an expected leap to 20.0% in Week 2 with the absence of Brown, and the plays he did make were explosive 20-plus yard gains. With those large chunk plays, Doubs leads all qualifying NFL receivers in yards per catch (32.0), and ranks fifth in the league in yards after catch per reception (8.7).
Further, Doubs’ usage mirrors the aggressive downfield passing tendencies that were a staple of the Patriots’ offensive approach in 2025. His Average Depth of Target (ADoT) is 20.6 yards downfield — good for second in the league through two games.
With more time on task together, Maye and Doubs’ near misses will turn into connections, and the true strengths of his game will be unlocked. One of those has yet to make an appearance, and it’s in an area that New England could use additional resources in.
In the 2025 season, the Patriots ranked 20th in the NFL with a 55.71% touchdown percentage in the red zone. Doubs, in contrast, has scored 21 touchdowns in the red zone over the course of his four-year career. Of those scores, 12 have come inside the 10-yard line.
Considering the state of the group around him, a confident Doubs would go a long way. New England will need to find a way to capture his 2025 form quickly, when he set career-marks for catch rate over expectation (+7.2%, eighth in the NFL), explosive plays (21), reception rate (66.3%), drop rate (5.2%), and passer rating when targeted (112.7). Thus far, the explosive plays have been prevalent, but that’s all.
Looking Ahead
Jul 28, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Romeo Doubs (87) walks to practice for training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn ImagesDoubs has been slow to develop a stable rapport with Maye through the first two weeks of the regular season, but Brown’s continued unavailability will give him ample future opportunities to do just that. With more reps together, some of the less efficient metrics will soon find level ground, and Doubs will begin to showcase the strengths the Patriots identified when they targeted him this spring.
The quicker that connection builds, the better, as upcoming showdowns with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills are sure to test the limits of New England’s somewhat limited offensive arsenal and place strain on a defense that has begun the season on a historic pace.
How do you think Romeo Doubs’ has performed through the first two weeks of the regular season? Do you believe he’ll begin to show more consistent production in the weeks ahead? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and join the conversation on Patriots Roundtable.
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