Is Patriots' Surprising WR Doomed Going Forward?

It's no secret that the New England Patriots struggled to get production from their wide receivers last season. In fact, they probably had the worst receiving corps in the NFL.

There was one surprising bright spot, however: Kayshon Boutte.

Boutte played in 15 games last season, catching 43 passes for 589 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged a solid 13.7 yards per reception and logged a respectable 63.2 percent catch rate.

The 23-year-old clearly became one of Drake Maye's favorite targets down the stretch, so you would think that the Patriots would be excited about Boutte moving forward.

However, due to New England's overhaul of the receiver position this offseason, Boutte is largely being viewed as a potential trade candidate.

The Pats signed Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins in free agency, selected Kyle Williams in the NFL Draft and also picked up impressive undrafted free agent Efton Chism III, who is quickly gaining steam as someone who could make the 53-man roster.

Plus, the Patriots still have veteran Kendrick Bourne and second-year wide outs Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, the former of whom was taken in the second round of the draft last spring.

All of this puts Boutte in a rather precarious position, and Bernd Buchmasser and Taylor Kyles of Pats Pulpit feel that the LSU product could ultimately be on the chopping block.

"Boutte is seemingly facing a wide variety of potential outcomes: he could find himself competing for starter reps at the X-receiver spot again, or be off the team entirely come September," Buchmasser and Kyles wrote. "What this shows is that a) the competition projects to be more intense this year, and b) Boutte has a ways to go before becoming a reliable weapon. At the moment, he therefore can be classified as a roster bubble player."

This is quite the bucket of ice water for Boutte, who seemed to prove that he belonged in 2024. Perhaps the Patriots can recoup some value for him in a trade, but it would absolutely be a mistake for New England to release him outright.