FOXBORO, Mass. — Kayshon Boutte beat the odds last year to earn a spot on the New England Patriots‘ initial 53-man roster. The second-year receiver is in a similar situation this summer — and believes the results will be the same.
Patriots’ Kayshon Boutte Confident He Has Roster Spot Locked Up
It’s been a roller-coaster offseason for Boutte, but the 2023 sixth-round pick is trending in the right direction…at the right time.
Boutte faced multiple gambling-related criminal charges, including one felony charge, early in the offseason. But the charges were dropped shortly before the start of training camp, and there remain no indications of Boutte potentially facing discipline from the NFL.
The LSU product has taken care of business in the weeks since. He’s said all the right things about his legal issues and has been one of the more consistent receivers throughout training camp, with last Thursday’s preseason performance the latest example.
Following Sunday’s practice, Boutte expressed confidence about surviving roster cutdown day.
“I feel like we’re all fighting for a job, but there’s not a doubt in my mind that I’m gonna make the team,” Boutte told reporters. “You know, I feel like I’m doing everything that I’m supposed to make the team. I feel like I’m going to do more as time goes on.”
GET UP @KayshonBoutte1!!
📺: @wbzsports pic.twitter.com/TKOl5FsdZ0
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 9, 2024
Boutte was active for just five games last season, finishing with just two catches for 19 yards. Like many rookie receivers who’ve played for Bill Belichick, Boutte found it difficult to crack the lineup. Whether first-year head coach Jerod Mayo will enact a different approach remains to be seen.
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Either way, Boutte has put himself in a position to earn one of the final spots on New England’s WR depth chart.
“Training camp has been going great,” Boutte said. “Coming out every day competing. Stacking days. Just day after day, opportunity after opportunity.”
PFN Analysis: Is Boutte’s Roster Spot Safe?
Boutte’s chances of making the roster likely improved after Friday’s release of veteran receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Still, Boutte isn’t a roster lock.
Smith-Schuster’s departure simplifies the math for the Patriots as they look to fill their receiver depth chart.
Ja’Lynn Polk, DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn, Javon Baker, and Kendrick Bourne are all roster locks. The Patriots typically carry five receivers on their initial 53-man roster, but they occasionally have rolled with six.
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That leaves one spot potentially up for grabs, though a second could open if Bourne, who’s rehabbing a torn ACL, opens the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
With Smith-Schuster now out of the picture, the Patriots have Boutte, Tyquan Thornton, and Jalen Reagor battling for the final spot(s). And there are cases for all three making the roster.
Thornton, a 2022 second-round pick, was an injury-plagued disappointment in his first two seasons but has shown improvement this summer and remains the fastest receiver on the field.
Reagor is a smart, speedy option who adds value as an elite kick returner. Drops remain an issue, but he’s been one of New England’s most consistent receivers since spring practices.
Boutte arguably has the lowest upside of the three, but he always practices well and could stick as a big-bodied possession receiver. If the Patriots want to replace what they lost in Smith-Schuster and DeVante Parker, they could turn to Boutte, who offers a similar game with more athleticism.
This competition could come down to the wire. Boutte is still on the bubble, but a strong showing over the next two weeks would make it difficult for the Patriots to leave him off the roster.