Schefter: Kayshon Boutte "deemed expendable" during draft weekend

[Ian]

Curran on Boutte:

“I don’t know how tradeable he is,” Curran said of Boutte. “I don’t think he’s done for. He’s the best out of those three guys on the bottom of the list, between (Javon) Baker, (Ja’Lynn) Polk, and Kayshon Boutte. He’s got better body control, he separates better. He just talks a lot, and I’m not sure how disciplined he is in his route running.

“I like him. I think he’s productive. I think his high level of confidence, his hands are better than the other two guys. But I think that the detail-oriented nature of a Josh McDaniels offense might make it tough sledding for Kayshon in 2025.”

Phil Perry feels Boutte is more valuable than the other guys down the depth chart.

“You know what? You’d actually probably get more for him than you would for some of the other guys,” Perry said. “He’s actually younger than both rookies last year, Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, even though he’s got another full year in the league. So you’re not getting anything significant, so maybe you just want to take him to camp if you’ve got an injury. Maybe the positives of having him on the roster are all there by the end and he grows a little bit.

“Listen, you can tell me 75 percent of that receiver room is tradeable, and it’s not a surprise.”

Could Patriots trade Boutte? Curran, Perry discuss the possibility

Could the Patriots trade 22-year-old wide receiver Kayshon Boutte? Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry react to the recent speculation.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[Ring 6]

He had a great year relative to the guys around him. I guess you can compare everyone to other guys in the league, but I don't follow everyone's 3rd or 4th receiver, so I wouldn't be able to give a good comparison of where he fits in.

But he turned out to be a pleasant surprise here in a season that didn't have many of them. And I'm fine with them replacing him. I do keep forgetting about Hollins. Honestly haven't even watched anything on him yet since they signed him. The Diggs signing sort of overshadowed it. I don't know how they feel about Bourne or Baker, but I'm sure Polk will get every opportunity to pull out of whatever funk he ended up in last season. And maybe they'll also draft somebody this weekend, so who knows.

But he wasn’t a 3rd or 4th WR here last year. He was 1 or 2.
I wouldn’t say someone was great when they were below average just because they were on a team with worse players.

They really need to draft a WR early. Then after him, Diggs, Douglas and Hollins the rest can fight it out for the last spot (or 2) and hopefully someone busts out.

 

[Ian]

But he wasn’t a 3rd or 4th WR here last year. He was 1 or 2.
I wouldn’t say someone was great when they were below average just because they were on a team with worse players.

They really need to draft a WR early. Then after him, Diggs, Douglas and Hollins the rest can fight it out for the last spot (or 2) and hopefully someone busts out.

Again, he was "great" relative to who he was playing with. And I hear you. It would be nice to see this team stop ending up with a lot of middle guys and have someone else aside from Diggs stress a defense enough for the final few guys to be able to take advantage of it.

 

[denverpatsfan]

Is the arena league going to trade for him? This makes no sense?

 

[signbabybrady]

But he wasn’t a 3rd or 4th WR here last year. He was 1 or 2.
I wouldn’t say someone was great when they were below average just because they were on a team with worse players.

They really need to draft a WR early. Then after him, Diggs, Douglas and Hollins the rest can fight it out for the last spot (or 2) and hopefully someone busts out.

You know everytime Boutte gets discussed I get surprised to look at the stats and see he was 2 behind Pop in production out of WRs and it seemed like they pretty much tried everyone before him. Thornton, Polk, Baker, and Bourne seemed to get more attention from AVP and Mayo and Boutte got his reps because they all sucked (maybe a little hard on Bourne since he was coming back from injury and was still our 3rd best wr but the other 3 sucked for sure).

All this just makes me want a WR even more in the draft.

Diggs obviously helps and maybe Bourne year 2 after injury surprises us. Similar for Polk I don't want to completely give up on some drafted so high but we can't afford to just sit idle we need more even regardless of what they produce.

 

[VJCPatriot]

According to Adan Schefter, Kayshon Boutte is "deemed expendable" to the Patriots in a possible trade this weekend.

You gotta think they intend to draft or trade for a starting quality WR this weekend if Boutte is expendable.

If we draft Hunter and trade for Pickens then yes Boutte can become expendable. Until such events occur he's still our 2nd or 3rd best WR sadly.

 

[Hawaiipatsfan2]

For full context, he was writing about "players on rookie contracts who could be deemed expendable". When making a list like that you go team by team and kind of force-fit guys in. This is different than him reporting NE is actually trying to trade him.

It does make some sense though. We've all broken down the WR room.

Diggs - Z/slot
Douglas - slot
Hollins - X
Bourne - Z
Boutte - Z that masqueraded as an X last year.
Polk - Z/slot
Baker - Z/X

They really need to add another X to the room but only so many roster spots. Boutte seems to be in that sweet spot of good enough that someone around the league might have interest, but also not good enough that they view him as a big part of their future. Ideally he's someone that gets replaced in the lineup to be relegated to a #4 type WR. If someone gives you something for that type of guy, it's worth exploring, especially because they do have a crowded depth chart of guys that they might view as worth keeping on the roster.

They do have to weight that against putting a respectable team out there though, so I'd be surprised if they made that move. But if they draft a WR high? I guess I can see it. Let's just say they took a WR in round 1 or 2... presumably that guy should be able to take a day 1 role. Then you have Diggs and Douglas. That'd be your top 3 and then you still have Bourne/Polk/Baker fighting it out for #4 and even Hollins who could justify a 5th gameday active spot as a STer as well. But we saw last year how risky it can be penciling in even some drafted high for a day 1 role.

How anyone could want to keep Baker or Polk over Boutee blows my mind. Boutee looked years better than both Polk and Barker during his rookie season. That’s not even considering last year. Not to mention, he also cheaper. I could possibly understand Polk just due to his draft position, but baker. GTHOH

 

[Nunchucks]

Boutte is not that good.

 

[signbabybrady]

How anyone could want to keep Baker or Polk over Boutee blows my mind. Boutee looked years better than both Polk and Barker during his rookie season. That’s not even considering last year. Not to mention, he also cheaper. I could possibly understand Polk just due to his draft position, but baker. GTHOH

FWIW Polk had more catches and yards than Boutte in their rookie seasons. None of the 3 did much of anything their rookie years. Boutte followed up with a decent sophomore year let's see what Polk and Baker can at least do in their second camp.

Better yet let's find 4 players better than the 3 of them. At this point not likely happening so let them all compete with each other and Hollins. Hopefully another rookie and maybe even another vet at some point too. Heck maybe one of them (Boutte probably the most likely) can even compete with Pop for some PT. Well hopefully the rook or vet can compete for top 3 too.

 

[mnpatfan]

Any dime a dozen player is expendable. Boutte included.

 

[cstjohn17]

OMG not the king of JAGS

 

[signbabybrady]

OMG not the king of JAGS

LOL

I've always hated the term JAG. But let's be honest most of these guys need to produce more just to be considered JAGs.

IMO (QBs aside) winning in this league comes down to getting your JAGs to play better than others just as much if not more than it comes down to having more stars than the others.

 

[Thelonious]

I don't get it. Of Polk, Baker, and Boutte, Boutte has shown the greatest promise on the field, in the NFL. All three should probably be given a last chance chance to show what they can do, at least in training camp. If they do feel they must clean house prior to the draft, I see no reason whatever why of the three, Boutte would be at the top of the list to be let go. Any argument on the part of Vrabel/Wolf that "he's not our guy. because we didn't draft him," is childish horseshit. Hire, retain, or dismiss on demonstrated merit, like an adult.

 

[203Pat]

Curran on Boutte:

“I don’t know how tradeable he is,” Curran said of Boutte. “I don’t think he’s done for. He’s the best out of those three guys on the bottom of the list, between (Javon) Baker, (Ja’Lynn) Polk, and Kayshon Boutte. He’s got better body control, he separates better. He just talks a lot, and I’m not sure how disciplined he is in his route running.

“I like him. I think he’s productive. I think his high level of confidence, his hands are better than the other two guys. But I think that the detail-oriented nature of a Josh McDaniels offense might make it tough sledding for Kayshon in 2025.”

Phil Perry feels Boutte is more valuable than the other guys down the depth chart.

“You know what? You’d actually probably get more for him than you would for some of the other guys,” Perry said. “He’s actually younger than both rookies last year, Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, even though he’s got another full year in the league. So you’re not getting anything significant, so maybe you just want to take him to camp if you’ve got an injury. Maybe the positives of having him on the roster are all there by the end and he grows a little bit.

“Listen, you can tell me 75 percent of that receiver room is tradeable, and it’s not a surprise.”

Could Patriots trade Boutte? Curran, Perry discuss the possibility

Could the Patriots trade 22-year-old wide receiver Kayshon Boutte? Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry react to the recent speculation.

sports.yahoo.com

This isn't necessarily a defense of Boutte or a "How could they get rid of him!?!" type of post, but this is the type of thing that has always worried me about Josh's system. The precision that it apparently takes to run it doesn’t always fit the skillset of players on the roster, and we end up with less athletic receivers who are "technicians". It is all well and good to have the technically sound, precise route runners, but we need someone to win one-on-one matchups, and in this league, that happens with an outside guy who is simply a better athlete than the guy in front of him. That isn't to say that Boutte is the second coming of Randy Moss, and to be honest, I don’t think it really matters if Boutte is on this team in September, but it is just the idea of releasing/trading a guy who is a better player than others in the room because he isn't as good in one area. That is where the coaching staff needs the "we can coach him up" mentality (and there is a good chance they don't think this specific player is worth it), so we don't get stuck with the endless line of plodder receivers that allegedly get open in other ways.

 

[PatsFan2]

This isn't necessarily a defense of Boutte or a "How could they get rid of him!?!" type of post, but this is the type of thing that has always worried me about Josh's system. The precision that it apparently takes to run it doesn’t always fit the skillset of players on the roster, and we end up with less athletic receivers who are "technicians". It is all well and good to have the technically sound, precise route runners, but we need someone to win one-on-one matchups, and in this league, that happens with an outside guy who is simply a better athlete than the guy in front of him. That isn't to say that Boutte is the second coming of Randy Moss, and to be honest, I don’t think it really matters if Boutte is on this team in September, but it is just the idea of releasing/trading a guy who is a better player than others in the room because he isn't as good in one area. That is where the coaching staff needs the "we can coach him up" mentality (and there is a good chance they don't think this specific player is worth it), so we don't get stuck with the endless line of plodder receivers that allegedly get open in other ways.

Also LSU WR's have a very good Track Record in the NFL. I'm hoping this all smoke based on last year: Boutte and Douglas are keepers. I really hope Josh is not behind this; because he's not accomplished in the WR evaluation area.

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

But he wasn’t a 3rd or 4th WR here last year. He was 1 or 2.
I wouldn’t say someone was great when they were below average just because they were on a team with worse players.

They really need to draft a WR early. Then after him, Diggs, Douglas and Hollins the rest can fight it out for the last spot (or 2) and hopefully someone busts out.

Ugh, don't use the work "bust" in this forum; it reminds me too much of the Patriots WR drafting history. I winced when I read it and I do not want rip out my stitches.

 

[p8ryts]

This isn't necessarily a defense of Boutte or a "How could they get rid of him!?!" type of post, but this is the type of thing that has always worried me about Josh's system. The precision that it apparently takes to run it doesn’t always fit the skillset of players on the roster, and we end up with less athletic receivers who are "technicians". It is all well and good to have the technically sound, precise route runners, but we need someone to win one-on-one matchups, and in this league, that happens with an outside guy who is simply a better athlete than the guy in front of him. That isn't to say that Boutte is the second coming of Randy Moss, and to be honest, I don’t think it really matters if Boutte is on this team in September, but it is just the idea of releasing/trading a guy who is a better player than others in the room because he isn't as good in one area. That is where the coaching staff needs the "we can coach him up" mentality (and there is a good chance they don't think this specific player is worth it), so we don't get stuck with the endless line of plodder receivers that allegedly get open in other ways.

I don't know why everyone wants to get rid of the most reliable WR we had last year. Pop Douglas showed flashes as did Boutte. I thought Boutte caught the ball better than Pop and he tracked the ball better than any of the WR's. He got open deep. When the QB was in trouble, he made himself available. I'm not saying he's all pro but at this point he may be the best we got from the returning WR's. Concern with his talking? Yegads, you can't shut up WR's and if that's a no no then we better jettison Polk and Baker immediately. Trade him for a low draft pick and hope the replacement will be better? I don't like it. Let him compete.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

I don't know why everyone wants to get rid of the most reliable WR we had last year.

I don't think everyone wants to get rid of Boutte. Schefter had a report and we are posting about it.

 

[PatsFan2]

I don't know why everyone wants to get rid of the most reliable WR we had last year. Pop Douglas showed flashes as did Boutte. I thought Boutte caught the ball better than Pop and he tracked the ball better than any of the WR's. He got open deep. When the QB was in trouble, he made himself available. I'm not saying he's all pro but at this point he may be the best we got from the returning WR's. Concern with his talking? Yegads, you can't shut up WR's and if that's a no no then we better jettison Polk and Baker immediately. Trade him for a low draft pick and hope the replacement will be better? I don't like it. Let him compete.

Yep can't wait to get that Sixth Rounder back who'll will turn into the next Davante Adams.

 

[Thelonious]

Any dime a dozen player is expendable. Boutte included.

Not when your roster is full of penny-a-dozen players.