The New England Patriots have reportedly traded wide receiver Kayshon Boutte to the Houston Texans for safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round pick, according to The Ringer's Tom Pelissero and ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Boutte's future in New England was up in the air all summer. He is about to enter the final year of his rookie deal, and it may have made sense for both sides to move on after the Patriots traded for A.J. Brown and signed Romeo Doubs earlier this offseason (especially with Kyle Williams, who is having a strong preseason, in the wings).
The Patriots' decision to trade Boutte isn't much of a surprise, even though it would have been exciting to see what he and Brown could do on the same team. Still, this move leaves New England with a lot of questions that it will need to answer sooner rather than later.
Who are the Patriots going to task with replacing Kayshon Boutte?
The easy answer here is probably Mack Hollins. He was very solid during his first season in New England last year (46 receptions on 65 targets, 550 yards, two touchdowns in 15 games, caught Drake Maye's only non-garbage time touchdown in Super Bowl LX), and he became a bit of a security blanket.
Hollins isn't nearly as explosive as Boutte is, but he is a capable deep threat, is very physical, and has a great catch radius (he is also five inches taller).
The 32-year-old is the safe answer for New England. It's highly unlikely that he would match Boutte's production, but fans can at least feel comfortable with Maye throwing the ball to him.
Another intriguing option is Williams, who, on paper, is probably a better one-for-one replacement. The Washington State alum can match Boutte's explosiveness because of his speed, athleticism, and release skills, but he is still such a raw talent.
Williams has looked good in preseason, but it's way too early for the Patriots to comfortably incorporate him this heavily in the offense. He has a lot of potential and should turn into a real weapon for Maye eventually, and if the Patriots really feel that good about what he brings to the table (which they actually might), then it could make sense for them to just streamline things and put him out there. But that could also backfire against them in a big way, and that's not a risk they should be willing to take.
It's easy to understand why the Patriots traded Boutte, but this move has caused their receiving depth to take a hit. And with the start of the season approaching, they will need to figure out what's next as soon as possible.
Add us as a preferred source on Google