FOXBORO — According to Bill Belichick, Demario Douglas is like most of the other Patriots’ rookies.
He’s hard-working, versatile and taking on new roles during training camp. Except, unlike any other rookie, Douglas has seen regular snaps with the starting offense in all three practices to date. The 5-foot-8, 192-pounder out of Liberty has impressed with his quickness, especially out of the slot He caught four passes during team drills Friday.
Douglas has also tried his hand at returning, working as one of three kick returners to work in full-team kickoff drills in the Pats’ last practice.
“Demario’s working at returns and offensively inside and outside, so it’s a big jump for him from a competition level in college, but he seems to be transitioning pretty well,” Belichick said. “He’s a smart kid. He picks things up well, learns quickly, so all things that work in his favor, but we’ll see how it goes when things get more competitive next week.”
Matthew Judon’s trademark red sleeves pre-date his time as a Patriot.
As the 30-year-old detailed Friday, he was first inspired by an ex-teammate in Baltimore, Terrell Suggs, who once donned long sleeves to help himself get in shape during training camp. Suggs, a longtime Patriots villain, then followed that summer with an excellent season, something Judon has only enjoyed in New England, posting 12.5 and 15.5 sacks, respectively, in each of the past two years.
“One year, (Suggs) came in and he was a little overweight. He practiced his butt off and wore a long-sleeve every day. And like by the end of camp, like, he had a six-pack and he was ready,” Judon said. “He went out there and got like 12 and a half sacks in like his 13th year. And so I was like, man, if he can do just that little thing and just just forget about the elements, forget about how hot he is, forget about if he’s cold, forget about like the circumstances that’s going around and just focus on football, that’s what I want to steal from him.”
Bill Belichick described injured running back/wide receiver Ty Montgomery as “day-to-day” on Friday morning. Montgomery hurt his left leg in Thursday’s practice and did not practice Friday. … Tight end Mike Gesicki noted how disciplined the Patriots’ offense has been through three days of camp with players not jumping offsides or lining up in the wrong spots. That’s been a big change from last summer when Matt Patricia and Joe Judge — not new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien — were running the offense … Running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who wouldn’t offer an explanation for his limitation in Thursday’s practice, said he likes the team’s group of running backs but would welcome free-agent Dalvin Cook into the mix … Bill Belichick noted that left guard and 2022 first-round pick Cole Strange had a great offseason and is “light years ahead of where he was” last year mentally.