DeMario Douglas is determined to find the end zone in 2024

FOXBORO -- DeMario Douglas will go into his second NFL season with a new number on his Patriots jersey. That's not all he hopes is different from his rookie year.

He is obviously hoping to help the team win some more games after a disappointing 4-13 campaign in 2023. Douglas did his part by leading all New England receivers with 49 receptions as a rookie (second only to running back Ezekiel Elliot and his 51 receptions out of the backfield), but there was one thing he didn't accomplish over his 14 games: He never found the end zone.

Between his time as a receiver and a punt returner during his rookie year, Douglas didn't score a touchdown. He came close a few times, including in a Week 7 win over the Bills at Gillette Stadium when he got down to the 4-yard line on a pass from Mac Jones. But he never made it across the goal line in a Patriots uniform.

He'll be looking to change that come Week 1. Asked about his goals over the offseason, Douglas said scoring that first touchdown -- and many more -- are at the top of his list.

"I feel like I can always improve in every aspect. But get a touchdown this year," Douglas told reporters Tuesday at Gillette Stadium, before quickly correcting himself. "Well, more than one. So touchdowns this year."

Douglas will obviously be working with a new quarterback in his second NFL season, though it remains to be seen if that will be veteran Jacoby Brissett or rookie Drake Maye. He hasn't spoken to Maye yet, but the two did exchange a quick text after New England drafted Maye third overall a few weeks ago. 

"It said, 'Let's work, Pop,'" Douglas relayed on Tuesday.

Douglas said that he's been practicing and training at different weights this offseason, and while he believes he'll be around the same weight as his rookie season, he's confident that he can carry a little more and still be successful on the field. And as a former sixth-round pick, confidence is a big part of Douglas' success.

"I feel like I always play with confidence. If I can't play with confidence then I shouldn't be out there," he said.

As for his new number, Douglas will wear the No. 3 after he had No. 81 as a rookie. He had the No. 3 through little league to middle school to his first football stint in high school, and then again at Liberty. It's an extremely special number to him and his family.

"The three is big for me, because I was raised by three star ladies; my mom, my grandma, and my great grandma," he said Tuesday. "My mom quizzed my grandma not long ago on why I had three. She didn't really know, but she knows now."

Now she knows. And it will make it all the more special when Douglas does find the end zone for the first time in the NFL.