Demario Douglas Injury: Why Patriots Rookie Was Limited In Practice

Demario Douglas has enjoyed about as consistently impressive of a first training camp as you could hope for from a Patriots rookie receiver.

The sixth-round pick has improved each week while performing like someone who's ready to be an immediate contributor in New England. Perhaps most importantly, Douglas has been available since the start of camp, showing impressive durability for someone listed at 5-foot-8.

But that changed on Tuesday. Douglas spent the vast majority of practice doing strength/conditioning work on the rehab field and never took part in competitive team drills.

So, what gives? Well, Douglas is dealing with an injury he suffered during Saturday's preseason road win over the Green Bay Packers, according to Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal. Bedard revealed the news during a post-practice appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub's "Felger & Mazz" show.

"Now, that being said, he did not take part in (Tuesday's) practice," Bedard said after comparing Douglas to Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hil. "I'm pretty worried, from what I hear, that he sustained a shoulder injury on that last, sort of, wide receiver screen that he took. As you see, he goes to the ground on his right shoulder. Similar to what happened to Tyquan Thornton the previous year ... it lingered for a while. So, I'm a little bit worried about that."

Here's the play Bedard was referring to:

In case you were wondering what Demario Douglas’ 1-on-1 drills have looked like against New England’s DBs all summer.

Slippery. pic.twitter.com/ngUncDSnsv

— Brian Hines (@iambrianhines) August 21, 2023

Thornton wasn't even a limited participant last summer after suffering his broken clavicle, which kept him sidelined for over a month. That Douglas was on the field Tuesday potentially indicates his injury isn't serious.

Nevertheless, his situation will be worth monitoring going forward. The Patriots will practice again Wednesday in Foxboro, Mass., before traveling to Tennessee on Thursday. They'll face the Titans on Friday in the preseason finale for both teams.