FOXBOROUGH - While A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs have been works in progress to start training camp, Kayshon Boutte has hit the ground running. He had deep-ball catches in each of the first three days of practice (I’m ignoring the walkthrough on Monday) and has looked very comfortable, which is how it should be, given this being his third season playing pitch-and-catch with Drake Maye.
“It’s been exactly the same as last year,” Mike Vrabel said before Thursday’s session. “He’s very professional, ready to go, knows what to do and takes advantage of his opportunities. It’s been great to see him show up and be productive early in camp, just as he was last year. I have a lot of respect for him, and I’ve told him that. I’m excited he’s gotten off to a good start.”
But before you get carried away, per league sources, Boutte remains very much available for trade, as has been the case the entirety of this offseason. And even though he once again publicly professed his desire to remain in New England, Boutte would welcome a bigger opportunity elsewhere.
“I mean, we all hear a lot of the stuff that's going on, Boutte said after practice. "My main focus is just I'm here until I ain't. I'm here today; if I'm somewhere else next week, or the week after, that's kind of what it is. That's part of the business. Taking every day, day-by-day, not thinking about what's next."
This is simply a numbers game, both with regards to targets and dollars and cents. Despite being the Patriots’ primary ‘X’ receiver last season in an offense that featured an MVP-caliber season from Maye, Boutte finished the year with just 33 catches (and added 9 more in the playoffs). The team then added Brown and Doubs, outlaying significant money and, in acquiring Brown, draft capital.
You combine that with Boutte entering the final year of his rookie deal, one that didn’t pay him much considering where he was selected (6th round), and you should understand where the player is coming from.
“Truth be told, I think if you were in a contract year at your reporting job, you would want that to be your best year,” Boutte said. “Whatever that looks like for me, we’ll look at all our options and see.”
A trade could also benefit the team, although the likelihood of getting anything more than a late-round pick remains slim. However, getting Boutte off the roster would open up more opportunities for Kyle Williams, who remains a favorite of the coaching staff and brings an entirely different skill set than anyone else in that crowded wide receiver room (he reeled in a pair of TDs from Tommy DeVito during 11-on-11 red zone work today).
“Well, I love having depth, but I would say that we’re always going to try to look to improve, whether that’s by adding draft capital, obtaining a player or keeping the guys we have,” Vrabel said when asked if they’d be willing to trade one of their established WRs.
In other words, the phone lines are open, as they