New England Patriots
Doubs won’t be eligible to return until after the Patriots’ bye week in late November.
Romeo Doubs suffered a shoulder injury during Sunday’s win over the Jets. AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper
October 19, 2026 | 5:11 PM
2 minutes to read
Just a day after A.J. Brown returned to game action, the New England Patriots’ wide receiver group took another hit.
New England announced on Monday evening that wideout Romeo Doubs has been placed on injured reserve after suffering a shoulder injury during the first quarter of Sunday’s 29-16 win over the Jets.
As a result of his IR designation, Doubs must miss at least four games before he can be cleared to play again. The next possible game for which Doubs can return is after the bye week — a Week 12 road game against the Chargers on Nov. 29.
With Doubs sidelined, the Patriots currently have four wideouts left on their 53-man roster in Brown, DeMario Douglas, Efton Chism, and Kyle Williams.
New England also has a few wideouts on its practice squad: Kyle Dixon, Chandler Brayboy, and Cameron Dorner.
Doubs suffered the injury during his touchdown catch against New York on Sunday, landing hard on his shoulder after a diving snag in the end zone.
The 26-year-old wideout stayed down in the end zone after the catch, was assessed by the team’s medical staff, and then left the game.
He finished with that one catch — a 42-yard touchdown reception — and sits at 14 catches for 261 yards and three touchdowns so far during the 2026 campaign.
Doubs’ injury stands as another setback for a segment of New England’s offense that has been stung several times by the injury bug.
Doubs is the third Patriots wideout to land on IR through the first six weeks of the 2026 campaign, with Brown landing on IR after a high ankle sprain in Week 1 against Seattle and Mack Hollins getting placed on IR with a calf injury after Week 4 in Buffalo.
Brown is expected to get the lion’s share of targets moving forward, with the veteran looking to move past a rusty performance against the Jets that included several drops.
Doubs’ absence could open the door for more snaps for Williams as an outside “X” receiver, while both Chism and Douglas have seen their reps spike as of late due to the injuries hampering New England’s offense.
The Patriots have more issues on the injury front than just Doubs, as New England lost three offensive linemen during Sunday’s win over the Jets: Morgan Moses (ankle), Ben Brown (knee), and Alijah Vera-Tucker (hamstring).
Given the short week, the Patriots could roll out three backup linemen for Thursday’s primetime game against the Bears at Soldier Field.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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