The New New England Patriots have been looking for a consistent wide receiver since A.J. Brown‘s injury against the Seattle Seahawks, and what hurts most is that they had the exact receiver they need on the roster earlier this season: Kayshon Boutte.
While Boutte wasn’t necessarily a world beater, he proved last season to be a go-to target for quarterback Drake Maye and helped Maye become the NFL’s MVP runner-up in just his second season.
Last season, Boutte came up big for New England’s offense as the X-receiver who could make contested catches and could take the top off the defense. In 14 regular-season games, Boutte had 33 catches for 551 yards and 6 touchdowns.
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Kayshon Boutte One-Handed Catch
While he performed well during the regular season, Patriots fans will remember Boutte’s one-handed catch against Houston Texans All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley. The catch happened early in the fourth quarter, and at the time, New England was clinging to a 21-16 lead despite forcing a horrendous performance from Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud.
This helped New England pull away in the second half en route to a 28-16 New England victory and helped secure a trip to the AFC Championship Game.
Familiarity with Drake Maye
This offseason, New England’s receiver room underwent a massive overhaul. Before the Boutte trade, Stefon Diggs opted to sign with the Washington Commanders, and Eliot Wolf brought in Romeo Doubs and A.J. Brown to help elevate the room, at least on paper.
While New England had plenty of options at the position, they opted to trade Boutte for depth at another position in safety Jaylen Reed. This questionable move by Wolf not only got rid of a backup in case Brown were to go down with an injury, but it also removed a receiver that Maye clearly had built a rapport with and had success throwing the football to.
Since Maye and the rest of the Patriots’ offensive starters did not play in the preseason games, the unit is left playing catch-up. Sitting at 1-2 heading into a tough road game against the Bills this Sunday, New England is left scrambling for answers for their third-year quarterback.
