There were some high hopes for New England Patriots receiver Kyle Williams ahead of his second NFL season, but while it's still early, things aren't looking too great for him in training camp.
According to Andrew Callahan of the Boston Globe, Williams appeared to be the seventh wide receiver on the Patriots' depth chart during the third day of training camp on Monday, which is obviously far from ideal.
"K. Williams looks like WR7, behind Brown, Boutte, Doubs, Hollins, Douglas and Chism, who ran with starters," Callahan wrote on X.
"On the Williams note, he did take reps with Maye earlier in this walkthrough practice, and there’s a looooong way to go in camp. But for today, when the offensive personnel was divided up late, he was not among the 6 WRs with Maye and the other offensive starters."
Kyle Williams may not have many opportunities in New England
Williams didn't play too much as a rookie last year, but he showed flashes. He had a 72-yard touchdown reception against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10 and a fantastic 33-yard touchdown grab against the New York Giants in Week 13.
The Patriots took Williams in the third round of last year's draft, and it was easy to see the vision. He is incredibly fast, quick, and has a great release. But at the same time, he is smaller, inconsistent, and isn't physical enough to make contested catches or be a true threat.
New England already has a solid receiving room outside of the Baltimore native, and it's hard to imagine him getting opportunities over players like A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, Kayshon Boutte (at this point, it looks like he's sticking around), and Mack Hollins. All of those players are outright better than Williams is at this point of his career, and they each provide more value on the field for Drake Maye.
And at this point, it seems like Williams isn't even guaranteed to beat out Efton Chism on the depth chart.
The 23-year-old has talent, and it's too early to definitively give up on him. But at the same time, he had limited opportunities last year for a reason, and it doesn't seem like there's a lot going in his favor heading into his second season.
There is still a lot of time left until the start of the next season, but as things stand, don't be surprised if Williams has already played his last game for the Patriots.
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