The Patriots’ receiver room looks crowded enough to force a real decision, and ESPN’s Mike Reiss thinks New England may have one more tough call ahead if everyone stays healthy.
After adding A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs this offseason, the Patriots suddenly have a group with a lot more punch.
Brown has been one of the league’s most productive wideouts for years, topping 1,000 yards in six of his seven NFL seasons and in each of his last four. Doubs, meanwhile, gave Green Bay steady production and then found another gear in the playoffs, where he averaged 5 catches for 92.8 yards per game across four postseason games.
His most recent playoff line was 8 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown in the Packers’ loss to Chicago in the Wild Card round.
Even after Stefon Diggs was released, New England didn’t lose any major pieces from the receiver group, which leaves the team with seven players who could realistically factor in 2026: Brown, Doubs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams, and Efton Chism.
That kind of depth sounds like a luxury. It can also turn into a problem.
Reiss put it plainly: "if everyone is healthy, [7] might be one too many". That’s where the Patriots may have to make a surprising roster gamble.
Boutte has already come up in trade chatter, but Williams was working with the second team early in camp, and even though he was selected by Vrabel and company just a season ago, his spot appears secure enough for now. Still, his role could shrink.
The real squeeze could hit Douglas, Williams, and Chism if the Patriots decide they need to trim the room, especially if Boutte stays put. And at the moment, there doesn’t seem to be much of a market for Boutte.
Keeping him may be the cleaner move, even if the team has to live with a crowded depth chart. A sixth-round pick probably doesn’t replace what he can offer, and moving him would make more sense only if he becomes a locker-room issue, which is not the case right now.
Hollins and Williams give New England more than just receiver snaps, too. Hollins has special teams experience, and Williams, Douglas, and Chism have all handled kick or punt return work.
Hollins also spent time functioning as a third tight end last season before C.J. Dippre was elevated in November.
Douglas and Chism both profile as slot options, while Hollins has mostly worked as an intermediate target and Williams has emerged as an outside weapon despite being the WR5. That makes Douglas especially important if the Patriots do decide to pare things down.
The upside of keeping the group intact is obvious: if injuries hit, New England won’t be scrambling for another emergency fix. The Patriots have seen how fast a receiver room can get stripped down.
In 2019, they ended up with Julian Edelman, Phillip Dorsett, and Jakobi Meyers after Antonio Brown, Demaryius Thomas, and Dontrell Inman all spent time with the team. Then came the N’Keal Harry era, the trade for Mohamed Sanu, Sanu’s brief flash, and his release during roster cutdowns the following season.
That’s the lesson here. The more receivers the Patriots keep, the less likely they are to be forced into another desperate trade later.
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Mike Vrabel said Hopkins time with the team has now ended as planned, closing the book on a short stay that was always meant to be temporary. The move still leaves an interesting question hanging over New England, though, because Hopkins presence was enough to make people wonder whether this was just a one-off visit or the start of something more down the road. [Read more 🡒]
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Kayshon Boutte has also turned early opportunities into a real roster argument, which matters on a depth chart that suddenly has more competition than it did a month ago. Camp is still young, but the next few padded sessions should tell a lot about who can separate from the pack and who is simply keeping pace. For a team trying to sort out its passing game and stabilize the pieces around Maye, those evaluations carry more weight than usual. [Read more 🡒]
Vrabel Just Raised A Bigger Patriots WR Question As Boutte Surges
Training camp is usually where a team learns whether its receiver room is deep enough to survive the season, and Mike Vrabel made clear that New England is still sorting through that question. He pointed to the value of competition at the position and left open the idea that the Patriots could improve the group in a few different ways, whether through added draft capital, bringing in a player or simply sticking with what is already there.
Kayshon Boutte has helped make that conversation more interesting. Vrabel praised the third-year receiver for a strong offseason, a good start to camp and the professional way he has handled his role, noting how much he has already meant to the team's success. With Boutte in a contract year and trying to keep building on that momentum, the bigger issue for New England is whether his rise is enough to settle the depth chart or only sharpens the need to keep looking. [Read more 🡒]