Kyle Williams has been a huge disappointment for the New England Patriots so far this season.
He showed flashes as a rookie last year (a 72-yard touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10; a 33-yard touchdown grab against the New York Giants in Week 13; and a two-reception, 46-yard, one-touchdown performance against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16), and he was incredible in preseason. But he is nowhere to be found a month into the regular season.
Kyle Williams has been a ghost for the Patriots so far
Over four weeks, the second-year receiver has recorded just two receptions on seven targets for 44 yards. He has also played just 24% of his snaps (last year, he played 31%).
Nobody is expecting Williams to be the new Randy Moss, but he has still been a huge disappointment, given his promising preseason performance and the opportunities he has in front of him.
Even after the Patriots traded Kayshon Boutte (which may have been a mistake), even after A.J. Brown got injured on opening night and was placed on IR, even with Romeo Doubs being wildly inconsistent and having an awful debut with the team, and even after Mack Hollins (who has been Drake Maye's favorite target so far this season) left Week 4 early due to a calf injury, Williams still hasn't done anything. It's telling that the Patriots are suddenly in need of receiving depth, and he's still nowhere to be found.
And on top of all of that, it looks like Efton Chism III (who, by the way, was an undrafted free agent in the same draft where Williams was picked in the third round) may have leapfrogged him on the depth chart after his Week 4 performance.
Williams doesn't even need to be a No. 2 or No. 3 guy in New England's system right now. But as it stands, he's not even good enough to be a No. 4 or No. 5 guy, and that could be a big problem.
Kyle Williams' Patriots outlook doesn't look promising
Brown will eventually return to the field (maybe even as soon as Week 6). Same with Hollins. Doubs is going to find his groove in New England (he's fresh off a six-reception, 58-yard, two-touchdown performance -- maybe he already has). Chism has a lot of momentum working in his favor. And he's not going to take snaps or targets away from DeMario Douglas.
It's a long season, and it's important to remember that Williams is turning just 24 years old in November. I'm not giving up on him, but there were some pretty high expectations for the Baltimore native heading into this season.
So far, he has not lived up to them at all, and it's fair to be a bit concerned about how things go from here. He has the opportunities right in front of him, but he's not making anything happen with them.
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