With the [New England Patriots](https://nesn.com/new-england-patriots) moving on from Kayshon Boutte, that decision now looks like a very tough one.
It was clear why the Patriots made that decision, and looking back doesn’t help teams make those calls, but it obviously wasn’t the right move.
The Patriots have to hope that multiple guys step up, with Romeo Doubs being at the top of that list. However, other players will have to make big plays over the next couple of weeks with A.J. Brown injured, and one of them is Kyle Williams. Williams was selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and one Patriots reporter believes that he’s under just as much pressure as anyone in the organization right now.
“Kayshon Boutte was obviously frustrated by his situation, and it was understandable that the Patriots traded him. But we’re one game into the season, and the offense could already use someone like Boutte.
“This is going to put a lot on the plate of Kyle Williams. Even though his only preseason success came on straight go balls that didn’t test his route running, coaches have professed faith in the 2025 third-round pick. Well, now we’re going to see how ready Williams is for a bigger role,” Chad Graff [wrote](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7582319/2026/09/11/patriots-seahawks-takeaways-drake-maye-aj-brown/).
Williams is a really tough player to evaluate in the simple sense that he doesn’t really have a lot of time in this league and hasn’t shown a whole lot because of the lack of opportunity to do so.
He wasn’t even targeted in Week 1, but that figures to change now.
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