Yes they do.
Pop Douglas is a multi-year starter who has the ability to get 6-8 passes for up to 100 yards in a game. Not every game, but he has done it on multiple occasions. He would start on a lot of teams.
Kyle Williams has the ability to take the top off a defense and be a lethal deep threat for at least a few plays a game. If he take a sizeable year two jump, he might be a starter quality WR.
Chism has made the most of his limited time on the field. Another player who could be a much better player this year in year two.
That is before we talk about Boutte. The Patriots right now arguably have the deepest WR room in the league. They may not have the best, but that is because they don't have two number one quality WRs like a lot of teams.
And it's a young team, measuring from two years under present high-level QB and one year under the present coaching regime (reflected in the present re-ordering).
One thing to remember is that that dual no. 1 profile isn't handed down from Olympus. A guy takes a step, and voila, he's a "number 1." Do we think Devonta Smith is another number 1 in Philly, with close to identical states to AJB? That's within striking distance, production-wise, for a couple of guys in this WR room.
I think we also have a candidate for this jump in Kyle Williams. We have to see. But he's right there in the conversation, just because of the high upside.
Boutte's production per target is actually amazing - more than 1 in 8 targets going for TDs, and almost 1 in 5 catches, and 16.7 YPC.
By the way, here's Karen Guregian on the case for Boutte... a lot of it is the same sort of stuff we're kicking around here.
Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, who missed all of the voluntary camps, was back for minicamp and did plenty to back his case to remain with the Patriots.
sports.yahoo.com
If Boutte builds on the existing chemistry... if Doubs takes a leap catching balls thrown by Drake Maye rather than Jordan Love (not a total slouch either, thank you...) If Kyle Williams produces at a higher volume like he produced on his 21 targets in 2025... If, if, if... we could see someone become "another number 1." They're not ordained by God to become that. Looking back, you see something eye-popping, and you decide it was always meant to be.
What will we see when we look back through future years' filters at Boutte's 2025 YPC and TD-to-target ratios? A fluke or a harbinger?
Boutte said the magic words and now I'm looking at the bright side of everything... so no, we don't have an identified Devonte Smith opposite AJ Brown, but Philly had 1a/1b/nobody, if I remember their WR situation correctly. As in, where we had 3 WR with 450-550 yards, their next WR was in the 250 range. So Hurts dialed in on Smith and Brown. Holding backs and TEs constant, he ignored everybody else. Maye spread it around.
Main point: I honestly disagree that we necessarily lack a second big threat, we just don't know which candidate, of several, will provide it. And imagine if Drake Maye is playing behind a left tackle with both legs.
Boutte is young enough that he could still prove this case, and spectacularly, given the right attitude... which is why we have camp.
Speaking of, at least we're in mini-camp now...
