Not even two days ago, it looked like Kyle Williams' time with the New England Patriots was already coming to an end. But now? It's looking like a completely different story.
After not playing much during his rookie season (he played 31% of snaps) and appearing to be buried on New England's depth chart, even ranking behind Efton Chism, the Baltimore native seems to be turning some heads in training camp.
According to Boston.com's Khari A. Thompson, Williams was one of the Patriots' biggest bright spots on Thursday.
"The second-year receiver hasn’t gotten much time with the first-stringers over the last few practices. That didn’t stop him from making plays during his reps with the second-stringers on Thursday. He caught a deep touchdown from Tommy DeVito during 11-on-11 scrimmages. He made a diving touchdown catch in the red zone from DeVito during the red zone period. He and Brown were the standout receivers on Thursday," Thompson wrote.
Sure, it's one day of training camp. And it was during reps with the second-stringers. But given how bleak Williams' outlook looked up to this point, this is still an encouraging sign that New England shouldn't ignore.
Kyle Williams will still have a tough time standing out with the Patriots
As things stand, unless Williams truly balls out and looks like prime Randy Moss for the rest of training camp (or, you know, the Patriots end up just trading Kayshon Boutte), it's going to be tough for him to be a consistent contributor next season.
The 23-year-old isn't going to sit above A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, Boutte, DeMario Douglas, or Mack Hollins on the depth chart. For the first time in a long time, the Patriots have a legitimate good receiving group, and it's going to be tough for players like Williams to solidify a spot for themselves.
Williams clearly possesses talent. He showed some real flashes last season (72-yard touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10 and a 33-yard touchdown against the New York Giants in Week 13), and his incredible speed and release could make him a real asset down the line. But he's also pretty clearly not better or more of a need than any of the other wide receivers ahead of him on the depth chart.
For the rest of training camp, a lot of eyes will be on the big names like Drake Maye, Brown, Christian Gonzalez, etc., but nobody should overlook Williams as he looks to firmly make a name for himself.
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