If there were an award for best in-season pickup, Green Bay Packers cornerback Rasul Douglas would have to be somewhere near the top of the list. Since being signed from the Arizona Cardinals practice squad on October 6, Douglas has become one of Green Bay’s top playmakers on defense.
“It’s rare you find a guy like that mid-season,” said Matt LaFleur.
On Sunday, Douglas had arguably his best game as a pro against the Los Angeles Rams with six tackles, an interception returned for a touchdown, and a career-high four pass defenses. Pro Football Focus gave Douglas an elite grade of 91.2, which is also the highest grade of his five-year career.
According to PFF, Douglas was targeted 10 times in coverage by quarterback Matthew Stafford but only allowed three completions. One of those completions went to Odell Beckham Jr. on a 54-yard touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter. He was beaten deep by Beckham, but it was the only catch the receiver made against Douglas on four targets.
Before allowing the touchdown, Douglas made the biggest play of the game. Down by 13 points, facing a third down and desperately needing a first down late in the third quarter, Stafford dropped back and looked to his left for wide receiver Cooper Kupp but found Douglas instead. Douglas jumped Kupp’s in-breaking route and returned the interception 33 yards for a touchdown. The Packers took a three-score lead to help put the game out of reach.
Douglas is no stranger to making big plays. In Week 8, he got revenge against his former team with a game-winning interception off of Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray. Without Douglas, Green Bay may have two fewer wins on the season.
Currently, Douglas is signed to a veteran minimum contract, and he continues to play like a guy without a guaranteed roster spot.
“I just love how he competes,” LaFleur said after the Rams game. “You see it in practice every day. Obviously, he has made two plays that had major impacts on games this year.”
Douglas played for four teams just in the year 2021. He bounced from the Las Vegas Raiders and Houston Texans during the summer before landing on the Cardinals’ practice squad before the start of the regular season. Douglas wouldn’t see his first regular-season action until Week 6, less than two weeks after arriving in Green Bay.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers also praised Douglas during his postgame presser.
“When you’re talking about Rasul, like how was this guy on the practice squad?” Rodgers said unprompted. “I mean, the dude has made so many plays for us. He’s got great instincts, good ball skills, he’s made opportunistic plays for us.”
The Packers will have a hard time keeping Douglas out of the starting lineup if and when guys like Kevin King and Jaire Alexander return to the field. Not only is Douglas expected to play an important role for the remainder of the 2021 season, but hopefully, Green Bay can make him a part of their future defenses.
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