Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports The rookie wide receiver was forced to miss the last two games due to a concussion. The New England Patriots are facing some injury questions heading toward their Week 15 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, but some reinforcements are on their way. As was confirmed by head coach Bill Belichick on Friday, wide receiver Demario Douglas has cleared concussion protocol and is expected to make his return on Sunday. The rookie had missed the previous two games due to a concussion. He originally suffered the head injury in the fourth quarter of the Patriots’ Week 12 loss to the New York Giants; he absorbed a hard hit (that controversially did neither draw a flag nor fine) on a punt return and did not return. It took Douglas until Wednesday to appear in practice again. He has participated in all three sessions since. “He’s cleared the protocol,” Belichick said. “We’ll see how it goes today, but assuming no setbacks he should be available.” Douglas, 23, has been one of the few bright spots on the Patriots offense this season. A sixth-round draft pick out of Liberty, the 5-foot-8, 192-pound pass catcher has caught 36 passes for 410 yards this season — leading the team in the latter category. He also gained 29 yards on four carries. Following a season-ending shoulder injury suffered by All-Pro Marcus Jones in Week 2, Douglas furthermore took over as New England’s top punt returner. As such, he has added 11 touches for 56 yards to his season totals. Douglas has been a productive player this season, and arguably the most dynamic pass catcher in New England’s arsenal. However, availability has been a problem for the youngster: he already missed one prior game — Week 6 in Las Vegas — because of a concussion, and now had to sit out two more contests due to the same issue. For the Patriots offense, which recently turned the keys over from original starter Mac Jones to backup Bailey Zappe, adding Douglas to the mix is good news. That is especially true given that the team will already be without its No. 1 wide receiver (Kendrick Bourne; torn ACL) and No. 1 running back (Rhamondre Stevenson; high ankle sprain). In addition, the top five wide receivers available are all currently dealing with injury. As a look at Thursday’s injury report shows, Douglas was not the only wideout practicing in limited capacity. DeVante Parker (knee), JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle), Kayshon Boutte (shoulder), and Tyquan Thornton (hamstring) were all unable to handle a full workload as well. The Patriots’ Week 15 home game against the Chiefs will be kicked off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 17. Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/2023/12/15/2 ... -belichick
