After Another Strong Showing, Chism Likely In Line For a Roster Spot
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Through two preseason games, one thing has become pretty clear.
Undrafted free agent wideout Efton Chism III has proven he deserves the opportunity to stick around. The only question is simply who he’s going to unseat down the depth chart.
This preseason, the rookie has hauled in 12 catches for 121 yards along with two touchdowns, with Chism scoring a touchdown in two straight preseason appearances. He had another strong performance on Saturday, hauling in 6 catches for 71 yards, including leading the team in third-down receptions with three, all of which moved the chains.
His most impressive play came on his scoring grab Saturday. Facing a 3rd-and-9 from the Vikings’ 12-yard line, Chism was lined up in the right slot and on the snap, came across the middle to the left, with Dobbs hitting him at right about the 10-yard line.
Chism then turned upfield and evaded a tackle by safety Jay Ward, skipped past a diving Mekhi Blackmon, and then got a nice block from John Jiles. He then slipped behind Jiles past both linebacker Kobe King and defensive end Elijah Williams before the two wrapped him up at the one-yard line.
But at that point, Chism found a little extra and pushed the ball over the goal line for the touchdown.
It was a tremendous effort, and one that caught the eye of head coach Mike Vrabel, who used him as an example of what the coaching staff looks for at this time of year.
“It doesn’t matter how you get here. The only thing that matters is what you do when you’re here,” said Vrabel when asked about Chism after the game. “I think that’s another great example of that. Chiz, when given opportunities, has taken advantage of them. We talked about his play strength last week. I would say that that continued to be true this week.”
Quarterback Drake Maye was all smiles talking about the wideout after the game, noting that the rookie continues working hard throughout the week, and it’s clearly paying off on game day.
“Yeah, he just keeps on showing up,” said Maye. “I think that’s the theme for him. It was throughout camp, throughout joint practices, throughout pre-season games. He got in the end zone again tonight, and just keeps on showing up. Like I said, he’s blocking the run game. He knows what to do. He’s staying late with veterans and asking me, ‘Hey, what do you think on this route?’ He wants it. I think that’s the biggest thing he’s showing. It’s paying off for him.”
Chism apparently got nicked up at some point during the contest, with Vrabel saying he’s among players we likely won’t see this week as the team gets ready for the Giants.
For now, the odds are pretty good we’ll see more of him moving forward, at least based on what he’s shown to this point of training camp.
Unfortunately, it will likely come at the expense of another player. The only question now will be whose place he’ll ultimately take when the Patriots do eventually pare the roster down to 53 ahead of the 2025 season.
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Chism looks good, but it’s summer camp. It will be interesting if he gets on the field in regular season, if game tape that opponents game plan on reveals how to neutralize Chism. He’s not fast in the 40. He passed the test of summer camp, but he’s going to have another exam to hurdle. He looks good so far.