Patriots projected to make interesting RB and WR roster decisions amid trade rumors image
Jan 18, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) warms up before an AFC Divisional Round game against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
The New England Patriots are heading into the 2026 season hoping to return to the Super Bowl and win it all this time. They've revamped the roster a bit, most notably adding A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs to the wide receiver room.
But in the wake of those two huge moves, the Patriots now have a question as to whether Kayshon Boutte or another WR will be traded before cutting the roster down to 53 players.
ESPN's Mike Reiss is projecting that the Patriots, amid those trade rumors, will construct their 53-man roster with seven WRs and, to do so, carry just two running backs on the roster entering the 2026 season.
Patriots projected to carry 7 WRs, 2 RBs on 53-man roster
"Running backs (2): Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson," Reiss projects. "Wide receivers (7): A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, DeMario 'Pop' Douglas, Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams, Efton Chism III."
This would make for a very interesting roster construction from the Patriots. Rarely ever would a team keep just two running backs on a 53-man roster, and seven wide receivers is more likely than not two more than they'd need.
But, considering how the two rooms stack up, this actually would make a ton of sense. First, looking at running back, these two are the only ones who have a real chance of making an impact this season.
Stevenson and Henderson are going to be in a committee, and there's not really room for a third RB. Their current depth options, like JaMycal Hasty, Jam Miller, Hassan Haskins, and Lan Larison, should all be able to make it to the practice squad anyway.
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That would allow the Patriots to keep those depth RBs as options to call up on game day for injury or simply depth purposes without using a 53-man roster spot.
At wide receiver, if the Patriots were to cut any of these seven receivers, they'd surely be scooped up by another team. Only Chism has a real chance of making it to the practice squad. But it might not be worth the risk.
Boutte could be traded before roster cutdowns, but this is a contending team, and trading someone like Boutte wouldn't make much sense for the Patriots, especially since they'd realistically only get a mid-to-late Day 3 draft pick in return.
This 53-man roster projection would be very interesting for the Patriots, as keeping seven WRs and just two RBs doesn't happen often, but in the Patriots' case this year, it would make a lot of sense.
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