The 2026 NFL schedule is finally out and now the New England Patriots know the landscape ahead of them on their hopeful path back to another successful season. They reached the Super Bowl in a year that analysts widely wrote off, and despite that, the upcoming season is already being thrown in the trash, too.
But they have made improvements to the weakest parts of the team that should equalize the level of competition they're about to face, especially offensively.
One of the most notable additions beyond the offensive line was wide receiver Romeo Doubs, who is expected to be a significant part of the game plan moving forward, with or without AJ Brown in the mix.
He came to the Patriots at the perfect time, not just because they needed serious help within their receiving corps, but his former team, the Green Bay Packers, is on the docket this year. He might not have left the team that drafted him on bad terms, but he has a chance to seek revenge against the group that didn't value his talent enough to keep him around.
Romeo Doubs isn't viewing the Packers game as a chance at revenge with the Patriots
Typically, that's what a player might be looking forward to most when they leave a long-time team in free agency. It's a tale as old as time in the NFL, and in many ways, it makes a lot of sense.
However, Doubs isn't exactly viewing the Packers as an enemy and isn't circling the Week 9 game on his calendar. In fact, he praised them recently to reporters, citing the knowledge they gave him to start his career, which is why he's not seeking any sort of revenge against them in New England.
"Green Bay took care of me. You know, it wouldn't be a reason for me to have that type of pressure against them, because again, my career started there. They taught me the foundation of football, how football works, situational football."
Maybe he genuinely feels that way, or maybe he's just trying to be politically correct. We won't ever really know. But Doubs' attitude is not uncommon, nor is it necessarily wrong, and it just goes to show how much he appreciates the game of football and the respect he has for those who have taught him that.
We already saw a glimpse of that appreciation the moment he signed with the Patriots, as he immediately asked Josh McDaniels to send him the playbook. That was in March, and the season doesn't start until September, so clearly, Doubs was ready to go.
That will be huge once the summer begins, particularly since a trade for Brown, if it comes to fruition, won't take place until after June 1. So if Doubs can get ahead of the game with the playbook, that will be significant since Brown will already be behind.
No matter what, it's good to see what kind of person and player Doubs is, and he already looks like the perfect fit for what the Patriots are trying to build under Mike Vrabel.
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