FOXBORO — DeMario Douglas spent four seasons playing college football at Liberty from 2019 to 2022. Three of those seasons were spent catching passes from Malik Willis at quarterback.

Now, for the first time in their careers, the New England Patriots wide receiver is going up against his former teammate — now the starter for the Miami Dolphins

Douglas, who's one of three receivers on the Patriots' 53-man roster healthy for the game, plans to swap jerseys postgame with Willis, regardless of how the game unfolds.

Willis, who's been under center for the Dolphins every game this season, will try to play spoiler against Douglas and a whole host of Patriots who have spent time with him in prior stops of his football career.

Douglas isn't the only member of the Patriots who's familiar with the opposition. In fact, their head coach drafted him to the Tennessee Titans in the third round four seasons ago.

"Malik's continued to develop, and that's the thing that I'm proud of him for, and I know that he should be proud of himself to continue to battle and go to Green Bay," Mike Vrabel, who drafted Willis in 2022, said this week. "I try to stay in communication with him, tell him congrats and that I'm happy for him, and then he gets a deal in Miami. He's very talented. He's got a strong arm, can throw at different platforms. He's a strong runner. I think he's starting to see things a little quicker, a little clearer, just as he's developed in the NFL."

One of his teammates from Tennesse — Kevin Byard — has experience going up against him, both in practice and in games. Last year, Willis went 9-for-11 with 121 passing yards and a touchdown as a replacement for the injured Jordan Love in what turned into a 22-16 loss to Byard's Chicago Bears.

"Really good, talented quarterback," Byard said. "(He's a) guy who can scramble, make plays with his feet."

What makes Willis so tricky to prepare for is his talents using his legs. He's second on the Dolphins in rushing yards (223) and can extend plays with ease. The Miami coaching staff has built an offense around him and now the Patriots will need to adapt to another mobile quarterback in and out of the pocket. It's easier said than done.

Patriots Defenders Preparing For Familiar Face

Several Patriots defenders tasked with preparing for him know him well. Linebacker K.J. Britt played with him at Auburn in 2017 and 2018, and cornerback Kindle Vildor was his teammate on the Titans in 2023.

"Freak athlete," Britt told Patriots On SI. "Great competitor, loves football. Just a good dude. He's just overall a good dude. Once he gets going, he's explosive. He's dynamic and he can really run."

"He's a super athletic quarterback," Vildor told Patriots On SI. "Strong arm as well and then he's mobile. That's something that we definitely got to make sure we keep an eye on."

The Dolphins, on paper, shouldn't win this game against the Patriots. Coming into the matchup with a 1-5 record, they're sitting in the basement of the AFC East. But Willis, who arrived in Miami on a three-year, $67.5 million contract in free agency, is more than capable of making things interesting.

"I got to see him in his early stages. His growth over the last two years, I feel like it's been tremendous," offensive guard Andrew Rupcich said to Patriots On SI. "(I) feel like he's gotten better every year."