The New England Patriots made a major change to their wide receiving corps by adding A.J. Brown in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The move could have a ripple effect on the roster as the Patriots try to cut down to 53 players before the start of the season. Between Brown, Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins, Demario Douglas, Kyle Williams, Efton Chism and Kayshon Boutte, there's plenty of talent, but only so many targets.
Boutte's name was hot in trade rumors leading up to the Brown trade and after, when he was not present at OTAs. He showed up for the mandatory minicamp, but 98.5 The Sports Hub's Alex Barth predicted the team would still trade him, taking just six receivers on the 53-man roster.
"This is as talented and well-rounded wide receiver room as the Patriots have had in some time," Barth wrote on Friday. "There's plenty of versatility in this group too, which should help Josh McDaniels mix and match with his play calls. We'll stick with projecting a Kayshon Boutte trade, as the 2023 sixth-round pick projects to be in a reduced role, is eligible for a contract extension, and spent most of the spring away from the team. Meanwhile, Chism is squarely on the bubble, and will likely need to contribute on special teams to secure that spot."
Boutte reiterated his willingness to stay with the Patriots during minicamp.
“I mean, I wouldn’t mind being here. I do want to be here, obviously, but I mean, at the end of the day, I do want to be here, so whether that’s at X (receiver), Z (receiver), F (slot receiver), like just whatever I got to do, that’s best for me,” Boutte said on Tuesday. “So, whether it’s learning the playbook more, moving around, I mean, it’s only one football, it’s five of us, you know. But that’s football at the end of the day, you don’t know who it’s going to. So, I mean, obviously, learning the playbooks, different positions, I hope.”
He is in a contract year, and it will be tough for him to see the same looks he saw last season with Doubs and Brown in the fold. A trade may actually be what's best for his future.
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