Rasul Douglas, middle, performs an exercise drill during his summer camp at Paul Robeson Stadium in 2019.
EAST ORANGE, NJ — East Orange’s Rasul Douglas has made a major impact on the NFL’s Green Bay Packers team.
The 6-foot-2, 209-pound cornerback has helped the Packers clinch the No. 1 seed in the upcoming NFC playoffs. The Packers, who closed out the regular season with a 13-4 record, received a bye and will play in the divisional round on the weekend of Jan. 22-23.
Douglas, a 2012 East Orange Campus High School graduate, has racked up 57 tackles, which ranks fifth on the team, and a team-leading five interceptions this season, returning two of those interceptions for touchdowns.
Douglas signed with the Packers on Oct. 6 after being on the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad. He intercepted a pass from Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray in the closing seconds of a Packers–Cardinals game on Oct. 28 to seal a 24-21 win.
Douglas intercepted Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford and returned the ball 33 yards for a touchdown, his first interception for a touchdown in his professional career, as the Packers won 36-28 on Nov. 28. That performance earned Dougas the NFC Defensive Player of the Week honor.
Douglas recorded his second interception for a touchdown when he picked off Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields in a 45-30 win on Dec. 12. Douglas also sealed the 24-22 win over the Cleveland Browns after intercepting a pass from Browns’ quarterback Baker Mayfield with less than a minute remaining in the game on Christmas Day.
Douglas was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft. He helped the Eagles beat the New England Patriots, 41-33, to win the 2017 Super Bowl in his rookie season. After three seasons with the Eagles, Douglas played for the Carolina Panthers in the 2020 season. He signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in April 2021 before being released in August. Douglas signed with the Houston Texans later that month but was released six days later. In early September, Douglas signed with the Cardinals and was placed on the practice squad.
Douglas has made it a point to give back to the East Orange community. In July 2019, he held a one-day youth camp at Paul Robeson Stadium.
File photos
About the Author
