ESPN’s Bill Barnwell made an All Backup Team earlier this week, and two members of the New England Patriots were featured on the unit. Barnwell stated his case in an article on Monday afternoon.
For the backup team, Barnwell built a team of backup players and rotation guys to make a 53-man roster. He forced himself to take at least one backup from each team but did not take more than two. His main goal was to go after players who participate regularly on special teams that help fill out the backend of the lineup.
Barnwell chose wide receiver Demario Douglas and defensive tackle Corey Durden for this exercise. The analyst stated his case below.
Douglas might be our team’s top wide receiver, which should tell you how concerning the wideout situation appears for Team Backup. He actually finished 13th in ESPN’s receiver scores a year ago, putting together an efficient season as a fourth wideout for the Patriots. Durden, who had been bouncing around practice squads, was a nice find for general manager Eliot Wolf as a nose tackle, making five tackles for loss across 383 snaps.
Patriots WR Had Major Season Last Year
Douglas in particular is a strong choice. When you look at what he was able to do last year, he was a key part of the Patriots’ offense. All told, he recorded 31 catches for 447 yards and three touchdowns. He was able to break out in a big way last season.
This is even more impressive when you consider that he only took 288 snaps last season. This was the lowest number since he took 186 snaps in his rookie season in 2023. Nevertheless, he made the snaps. He recorded 14.4 yards per reception and a 67.4% catch percentage. He was able to set the tone early, as he caught New England’s first touchdown pass of the season in the opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. From there, he was able to show that he could be a valuable complementary receiver.
Defensive Tackle Became Key Patriots Contributor
Durden is an equally interesting case. He went from a practice squad player to a valuable piece on the defensive line. He recorded 20 total tackles, including two tackles for loss. The playmaker had an 81.4 Pro Football Focus pass-rush grade, which ranked him extremely high throughout the league. This put him eighth out of 134 qualified interior defensive linemen.
All told, he was able to generate 17 pressures. His 72.8 overall PFF defensive grade placed him 20th overall at his position. If there is one area where he did struggle, it was in the run. He tallied a 57.5 run-defense grade, which was 52nd overall. Even with the down run metrics, he still proved himself to be a valuable contributor.
By and large, Durden and Douglas are not exactly terrible players to pick for this particular team. They bring both Super Bowl and veteran experience. This will especially be important to a roster that is full of backups. Having veterans on this roster overall may be important.
Douglas and Durden played key roles for the Patriots last season, even if they were not the main rotational pieces. It’s only fair that they make a team of this magnitude, with so many key situations under their belts.
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