Welp, after a horrible weekend for Boston sports, with the Celtics and Bruins out before Mother’s Day and the Red Sox 10 games out of first place, we’re now in tepid sports seas not seen in a decade. So get ready for a lot of Patriots’ analysis!
Let’s start with the veterans on the depth chart that could be in danger heading into OTAs.
Kayshon Boutte, WR (contract year)
Yup, Captain Obvoius here. With A.J. Brown all but fitted for his new Patriots’ jersey — apparently for the 2028 first-round pick Adam Schefter keeps pushing — Boutte is going to be on the way out. It’s now just a question of when. He’s in the final year of his deal, Brown is going to take over his position and targets, and the Patriots also have Kyle Williams at the X spot. I don’t think he gets you very much in trade value because the pool will be limited due to the off-field concerns that kept him off a lot of draft boards when he was drafted. And it was a lot more than his gambling issues he’s come clean about.
Demario Douglas, WR (contract year)
Pop was part of Bill Belichick’s final draft disaster, which already puts him on the chopping block (though, not as bad as the 2024 Mayo/Wolf draft). Douglas is just not a good fit for this offense — he’s a space player in a precision-based passing scheme — and his lack of size is also an issue. He should be a little slot in this offense, but he’s not built for that. Shows some good skills with the ball in his hands, but the Patriots probably want those touches going to Kyle Williams and TreVeyon Henderson. The Patriots signed at least three undrafted free agents, and also have Efton Chism, who is a real blocker out of the slot. Seems like a when-not-if question with Douglas.
Christian Ellis, LB (contract year)
