New England Patriots
With A.J. Brown now reportedly dealing with a high ankle sprain, the Patriots might have benefited from keeping Kayshon Boutte around.
When the New England Patriots signed Romeo Doubs to a four-year, $68 million contract in March, they likely braced for a potential scenario like the one that ultimately played out on Wednesday night in Seattle.
Doubs’ versatile route tree represented a potential upgrade for a Patriots’ offense that flatlined in the playoffs last winter.
But the 26-year-old wideout also stood as added insurance in case other wideouts on New England’s roster were stung by the injury bug over the course of a long football season
It didn’t take long for the Patriots to feel that bite, as WR1 A.J. Brown suffered an ankle injury that knocked him out of a majority of New England’s season-opening game against the Seahawks.
And then, Doubs picked a bad time for an awful showing in his Patriots debut — reeling in zero catches on three targets, including a critical drop that set the stage for Drake Maye’s second interception of the night.
Brown’s injury — reportedly a high-ankle sprain— now looms large for a Patriots team already facing serious questions this summer about depth across various segments of the roster.
Well, just about every spot except New England’s wideout room — based on both Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf’s comments at the end of the preseason.
After months of speculation, the Patriots traded away Kayshon Boutte in August— with Boutte looking for more reps and opportunity elsewhere after New England added both Doubs and Brown.
The Patriots complied, with New England only netting safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round pick from Houston as part of the deal.
Wolf — who dubbed the move the “Jaylen Reed” trade while speaking with the media last month — said that it was a move partly spurred by the lack of available reps on New England’s pass-catching corps.
“We feel really good about our receiver group,” Wolf said. “We have guys that can play in multiple positions. They all really complement each other well. Obviously, when we acquired Romeo [Doubs] and A.J. [Brown], something had to give because we have guys that can play in the slot, guys that can play Z, block and play special teams.
“So, there are just a lot of different elements, and we feel really good about the guys that we have in the room.”
Vrabel also acknowledged after New England’s preseason finale that Boutte likely would have been inactive had he stuck around on the Patriots for Week 1 against the Seahawks.
Even if New England felt as though Boutte didn’t have a set role on this roster — and also wanted to do right by the 24-year-old wideout by trading him elsewhere, keeping him as added depth should have been a viable plan for this team.
Not only have both Brown and Doubs dealt with injuries in the past, but Boutte’s strong rapport with Drake Maye as the QB’s go-to target deep down the field made him an asset that warranted a spot on this roster — especially when all New England got back for him was a low draft pick and a depth safety.
Boutte wasn’t the top target on New England’s offense last year, but he still thrived as a proven outside threat, averaging 16.7 yards per catch and posting six touchdowns over 14 games.
Even if he wasn’t in the lineup for Week 1 in New England, he certainly would be moving forward — especially now that Brown is expected to be on the shelf.
The impact of Brown’s injury was evident in Wednesday’s loss to Seattle.
In New England’s final five drives of the night with the star wideout out of the equation, New England only generated 93 yards of offense off of 32 total plays — with three of those five drives ending with back-breaking interceptions.
Now, the Patriots will need to trudge forward with a Patriots’ wideout room that includes:
- Romeo Doubs (zero catches on three targets Wednesday)
- Mack Hollins (four catches, 51 yards)
- DeMario Douglas (five catches on seven targets, 20 yards)
- Kyle Williams (zero catches on zero targets)
- Efton Chism (inactive in Week 1)
Yes, Doubs should be far better than what he showcased on Wednesday night. Still, a Patriots offense — and quarterback — in need of a get-right game could really use an explosive playmaker like Boutte moving forward.
Maye’s knack for generating explosive plays and torching secondaries with heaves down the field to Boutte dissipated on Wednesday — as ESPN’s Next Gen Stats tabbed Maye as 0-for-4 with three interceptions and a 0.0 passer rating when uncorking passes of 20-plus yards against Seattle.
Boutte could have helped in that regard, even if he was likely to be inactive had he been on this roster.
One could also push back and say Seattle’s stout defense bottled up Boutte during New England’s previous meeting against the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.
But as New England now moves forward without Brown and a hindered receiver room, Boutte — a proven safety blanket for Maye — would have really come in handy over the next month for a Patriots team looking to put this ugly loss in the rearview mirror.
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