Patriots' Preseason Star Gets Another Concerning Debut Delay

The rookie slot receiver made the 53-man roster before Week 1, but many knew his playing time was going to be limited. He sits behind five receivers on the depth chart. Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, and Kyle Williams would all clearly see more playing time than Chism, at least out of the gate.

The move to have Chism inactive creates some confusion among Pats fans, as there seems to be no issue with his work ethic on the practice field. Patriots receiver coach Todd Downing backed up this theory when he told MassLive about all the impressive work he has put in during the time between games.

“He’s learning his pro routine. He’s tied at the hip with Mack (Hollins), so those two are together all the time,” Downing said. “He’s learning how to prepare his body. He’s learning how to recover from heavy loads on practice days and things like that."

“He’s also learning to be versatile throughout the whole offense, not just playing slot receiver like he spent most of his time in training camp,” Downing told MassLive. “He’s learning all the positions, because a lot of the times that fourth, fifth, or even sixth receiver on game day, you have to be able to plug and play him anywhere if somebody needs a shoelace. So he’s really evolved in that way too, and that’s fun to see. Love where he’s at. Happens to be in a room with five other talented guys on the active (roster). I know his time will come soon."

A source close to SI also mentioned that “it’s more about the guys above Efton being more positionally versatile than he is right now. They are getting him pro-ready.”

Chism getting reps during a Sunday matchup anytime soon may still be up in the air, but the good news is there does not seem to be anything to alarm any Patriots fans about an underdog player getting sent elsewhere, at least for now.

They're used to seeing guys like an undrafted free agent who came out of nowhere go on and thrive in Foxborough and sure wouldn't mind seeing it again.