One of Drake Maye’s favorite targets in 2025 is now a Houston Texan.
The announced New England Patriots trade of Kayshon Boutte to the Houston Texans opens the door for a pair of bubble guys to stick on the 53-man roster on countdown day coming up this Sunday.
Efton Chism and Kyle Williams can breathe a sigh of relief on the news, first broken by Tom Pelissero on “X” that Boutte is heading to the Texans for second-year reserve safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round draft pick.
Strong Saturday nights for Chism, Williams
Both Chism and Williams had solid performances on Saturday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Chism caught all four passes thrown in his direction for 45 yards.
Meanwhile, Williams caught a pair of passes for 74 yards, including a 69-yard TD bomb from Tommy DeVito.
A rapport with Drake Maye
Boutte grew into a favored target of Maye, especially on third down, in 2026.
While his numbers were steady but not spectacular, Boutte caught 33 passes on 46 attempts for 551 yards and six touchdowns in the regular season. He added nine more grabs for 168 yards in the four playoff games with another touchdown.
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He is in the final year of his four-year, $4 million deal and has stated publicly repeated in the offseason and into the preseason that he is looking to put up bigger numbers in a contract year.
Opportunity to play and perform is at the top of his list, and with A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs new in camp, Boutte wasn’t sure he could find that in New England.
Opportunity knocks in Houston
In Houston, he gets to compete in a wide receiver room that just added veterans Zay Jones and Sterling Shepard from the scrap heap.
Houston features two-time Pro Bowler Nico Collins at the lead receiver spot but suffered a major blow when second-year man Jayden Higgins tore his ACL recently in camp.
Tank Dell continues his recovery from a devastating knee injury in 2024, but his immediate future is uncertain.
