Coming into the 2026 season, the New England Patriots will have one of the top cornerback trios in the NFL, with Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III, and Marcus Jones helping the team’s defense allow the league’s ninth fewest passing yards per game last season.
However, outside of those three players, the depth at the position begins to fall off, which is why Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport has tabbed New England as a prospective landing spot for veteran free agent cornerback Rasul Douglas.
Why Rasul Douglas makes a lot of sense for the Patriots
Douglas has spent time with eight different franchises over his nine-year NFL career, playing last season for the Miami Dolphins. During the 2025 campaign, the Super Bowl LII champion recorded 62 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, 13 pass deflections, and a pair of interceptions, which he returned for a combined 43 yards, in 15 games played.
Pro Football Focus graded his performance on the year at 73.5, the 19th highest mark out of 114 eligible cornerbacks, as Douglas posted career bests in completion percentage against (54.5) and yards per completion allowed (10.2).
His former head coach in Miami, Mike McDaniel, had high praise for what Douglas brought to the team both on and off the field, calling him a “gigantically impactful football player,“ as well as a “value-added team guy.“
“I was very confident in his football play based on watching film. I had no idea how much of an impact he could make as a Year 1 player on the team, and I see him as right in there with our nucleus of guys as a driving force in how we’re motivated each and every day we come to work …
I think he’s playing some of his best ball that he’s played. I knew he was a ball player, I just didn’t know how much he could aid in the team that we’re trying to create.”
Adding a seasoned vet who can buy into a team-first culture and show he’s still got plenty left in the tank ahead of his age 32 season would be a wise addition for the Patriots, who, as mentioned, don’t have a ton of options at corner outside their top three players at the position.
Next up on the depth chart are restricted free agent Alex Austin (13 tackles, one pass deflections in 2025), former undrafted free agent entering his third season Charles Woods (12 tackles, one pass deflection), and the 2025 NFL Draft’s ”Mr. Irrelevant” Kobee Minor (one tackle), who all combined for just 300 defensive snaps last season, compared to the 851 which Douglas played.
What would it cost to sign Douglas?
The Dolphins inked Douglas to a single-season pact last August that paid him out $1.57 million, and the West Virginia product’s price tag isn’t expected to jump all that much in this year’s free agency period.
According to Spotac, the West Virginia product’s market value is expected to be around $4 million over one year.
That’s still a decent bargain, which New England certainly must consider in order to provide some quality depth to their secondary. Should any of Gonzalez, Davis, or Jones miss time in 2026, having the experienced Douglas could be a huge benefit to the team.
