Patriots Have Too Many Receivers, and Some Tough Decisions

One thing that’s been noticeable since Mike Vrabel was hired is that the personnel bar has been raised each offseason. Any position that Vrabel has deemed “not good enough” has seen sweeping changes, creating some terrific competition in quite a few areas.

The position garnering the most attention at this point remains at wide receiver. The New England Patriots came into training camp stacked with talent, having added A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs this offseason. It’s given them a group that is arguably one of the most talented we’ve seen in nearly two decades, and it’s been fun to watch so far through 12 days.

Things have been extremely competitive, and judging by what we’ve already seen, they’re clearly going to have to make some difficult decisions when they finally make their roster cutdowns in a few weeks.

The Patriots currently have 12 receivers on their roster, with the most recent addition being Tejhaun Palmer, who was claimed off waivers from Arizona this week. The likely scenario would see the team keep six receivers, with seven players seemingly vying for those spots.

Kayshon Boutte seems to be the biggest question mark. The team reportedly explored trading Boutte during the offseason, which Karen Guregian of MassLive recently revealed came at Boutte’s request back in April.

Boutte is heading into the final year of his rookie deal, and with the addition of Brown and Doubs, he’s likely aware that having a big year is going to be difficult. For a player looking for a big payday, competing for targets with players of that caliber is less than ideal.

Current Roster Battle:

A.J. Brown
Romeo Doubs
Mack Hollins
Kayshon Boutte
DeMario Douglas
Kyle Williams
Efton Chism

Bubble Players:

Kyle Dixon
Nick DeGennaro
Cameron Dorner
Tejhaun Palmer
Kobe Prentice

Douglas Finally Has a Big Day

DeMario Douglas had arguably his biggest performance of training camp on Friday, coming up with a big outing during the club’s Blue-White Scrimmage after hauling in a couple of long receptions along with two touchdowns. He’s had a good summer, but he’s been a part of some of the debates that have continued at the receiver position when it comes to how he’ll fit in with this current group.

Despite that, Vrabel praised him earlier this week, noting that in 2025, despite not seeing as many targets, it didn’t change how Douglas played. That’s one of the things Vrabel really appreciated, and it’s something that definitely stood out.

“I think the most impressive thing was that he was ready, whether he got 12 snaps or he got 30 snaps,” said Vrabel. “I think some of his best plays were his ability to not catch the football and go and finish. And he made plenty of plays for us, but his attitude remained really good.”

“I know that every receiver wants to get the ball more. And I think we’ll continue to try to find ways for Pop to help us and then look at where he can continue to improve. But nobody cares more about the team than Pop Douglas. I think that shows by the way he plays.”

Given those comments, it doesn’t sound like Douglas is someone he’s ready to part ways with just yet. However, like Boutte, Douglas is also in the final year of his own rookie deal, which might not rule out something happening there.

Jul 28, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Kyle Williams (18) walks to practice for training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images — **(PHOTO: Eric Canha-Imagn Images)**

Vrabel Cites More ‘Opportunities’ Ahead For Williams

Meanwhile, Williams has been an interesting topic of discussion all preseason. He’s been seeing limited time with the first offense, and he seems to be somewhere around the sixth receiver among the current group.

The difficult part when it comes to Williams is that of all the players they have, he’s probably the one who holds the most value for any team looking to add a promising prospect. He’s also early in his rookie deal, which would certainly be attractive to a team looking to explore a trade and the one that would probably provide the best return.

Still, it feels unlikely that they would move on from the former 3rd-round pick, unless the return would at least be the same or better. There’s too much potential, and he’s obviously got key traits that are difficult to find. Williams has the speed and quickness that makes him unique, and we’ve already seen how well he tracks the football.

We saw several receptions for the rookie in 2025 that were significant, and he’s an even bigger asset when you take into account the Patriots have a quarterback in Drake Maye who has no issues getting him the ball down the field.

Jul 25, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Kyle Williams (18) stretches at training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images — **(PHOTO: Eric Canha-Imagn Images)**

The biggest issue with Williams seems to be his ability to get off the line and past the defender, which is why Eliot Wolf mentioned back in the spring that the hope was that he’d get a little stronger. He definitely looks bigger compared to where he was, and he already admitted that he’s added some weight.

So far, he’s also had some good moments, and he’s a player who has made some notable plays as of late. For anyone wondering about how the team might see his current situation, Vrabel said on Friday that they plan on giving him more opportunities.

“He’ll continue to earn opportunities. I really, really know that Kyle is going to help us,” said Vrabel. “His speed is going to help us. And I don’t want to use this and get this to be overblown, but— and I’m going to use the word ‘scheme’ or ‘speed’ – I mean, he’s got a skill set, right? We’re going to find ways to get him the ball. And it may be outside of just a normal installation place, but that’s my responsibility. That’s Josh [McDaniels]’ responsibility. That’s Todd [Downing]’s responsibility, to put him in those positions where we see the speed that showed up last year.”

Vrabel even took it a step further, adding that Williams is going to be a big part of their plans on offense this season.

“I know that he is going to be a large part of what we’re going to do. And those opportunities will continue to come. His release skills, his speed, his vertical speed, those are all things that we have to continue to take advantage of as we progress. And it’s a great room. It’s a good, competitive room. And by competing and getting out there every single day, those will, by nature, increase his opportunities.”

Given those comments, it feels like his place on the roster is also pretty safe.

Jun 9, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (9) runs with the ball at minicamp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images — **(PHOTO: Eric Canha-Imagn Images)**

Boutte’s Making it Tough to Let Him Go

So far during training camp, Boutte’s continued to make big plays, and no one behind him has yet to make any real noise. If the Patriots were hoping that someone behind Brown and Doubs would step up, it hasn’t happened to this point. In fact, Boutte even seems to continue making a bigger impact than Doubs, which likely has the Patriots feeling a little apprehensive about moving on from him.

Efton Chism has flashed at various points and has recently started to gain some momentum, and he looks like a player who has grown quite a bit after having a full offseason. He’s yet to really break through to this point, but like Williams, he’s held his own through two weeks.

Mack Hollins has been getting snaps with tight ends, and he’s another player who is really good at what he does, but he’s not as explosive as those other players. However, his energy and his ability as a blocking receiver and versatility make him a valuable player to have around.

With that in mind, it likely means that Brown, Doubs, and Hollins are locks to make the team. From there, it just comes down to whether an injury on another team adds a little desperation for a team to throw a high enough draft pick to move Boutte, or if something else surprising happens.

If the Patriots truly have championship aspirations, and Vrabel has approached this offseason having made sweeping changes that included some difficult decisions, they should just keep Boutte and be willing to risk losing him after the season.

An injury to Brown or Doubs would drastically alter things, and it’s hard to feel confident that Douglas, Williams, Hollins, or Chism would be at the level necessary to step in and provide enough for them to make another deep playoff push. That’s one of the things that really complicates things, and one of the primary reasons why keeping him ultimately makes sense.

At the same time, the Patriots certainly shouldn’t move him for the sake of moving him, and it sounds like, to this point, a team has yet to provide an offer worthy enough for that to be a consideration.

Jun 9, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Efton Chism III (86) looks on during minicamp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images — **(PHOTO: Eric Canha-Imagn Images)**

Could the Patriots Keep 7 Receivers?

All you need to do is look back at the reception Boutte made against Houston in the playoffs to realize how tough it might be not having him. That was one of the biggest plays of the postseason, but it was just business as usual from a guy who has continually been one of Maye’s most reliable receivers.

Stefon Diggs wore down as things got later in January, and Boutte remained that explosive threat they needed. He’s just been so terrific, and moving him might leave them lamenting not having him down the stretch. For a team looking to do big things, it just doesn’t feel worth it.

But the NFL is a numbers game, which means holding on to Boutte potentially means keeping seven receivers.

Vrabel was asked directly about that possibility, and he didn’t hesitate with his answer when asked if he saw a scenario where all seven players end up on the roster.

“Sure. Yeah, I mean, all we have to do is figure out the best way to keep guys that are going to help us win and that have roles on this team and that help us win,” said Vrabel. “And that’s our job. That’s me, and Eliot [Wolf] and Ryan [Cowden] and Stretch, and everybody’s job is to try to find ways to keep the guys that give us the best chance to win, however that may be.”

Their ‘best chance to win’ might indeed see them keeping Boutte.

For a team looking to pick up where they left off in 2025, it’s safe to say you can never have too much talent at a position like receiver. The biggest question remains who they feel is part of their future beyond this season, which is what makes Chism and Douglas’ situations so intriguing.

But something will eventually have to give, and with several weeks left, it should be interesting to see how things ultimately play out.

About Ian Logue

Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.

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